If you open the doors of a drug rehabilitation center and took a tour, what would you expect the patients to look like? What would you expect their life story to sound like? Perhaps it would be a story of a broken home, a history of abuse, periods of unemployment and even a criminal record. This is what you’d expect when you see someone in drug treatment. This is often how the media portrays it. You expect to see someone who had it bad from the start…from the moment they took their first breath they were destined to be a drug addict.
There are people who exist in every city in America who struggle with alcohol and/or drug addiction. Many of them work hard, take care of their families and participate in philanthropies. These working-class or professional Americans are also at high-risk for addiction.
Look at average business people or tradespeople. They work full time then come home to their family. They find it hard to sleep well or are very busy with balancing both work and their life outside of work. When cups of coffee no longer get the job done, they may turn to drugs like Ritalin or other types of speed/amphetamine to “make it” through the day. When they come home, they may self-medicate with alcohol or prescription drugs or “downers” to help them wind down. This pill popping lifestyle becomes as much of their diet as eating breakfast. It seems necessary at the time, but the long term effects could be devastating on their bodies. These are average, everyday people doing this to function. It can quickly turn to addiction and spiral out of control. This behavior can be found amongst doctors, postal workers, single, working parents, virtually most types of working individuals that you can think of. They are just trying to stay ahead in the game of life, but their self-medication techniques are harming them in the long run. They do not realize how much they actually need drug treatment. Even if they did, they feel there is no time. With drug treatment, it can turn out better for them and for their families in the long run. You can survive and even advance in your career without using drugs to meet your daily demands.
The need to “keep going” through the day has become a money-making industry. Energy drinks are boasting hours of energy to keep going without a crash or shaky after-effect. Doctors can prescribe medication used to treat ADHD for concentration, or people can obtain it illegally. College students are buying these drugs on the black market in hopes to have crash study courses to get through school. Prescription drugs like Xanax, Ambien and Valium have become as easy to obtain as multivitamins. Once someone has used one drug to keep themselves going they may mix it with another (and sometimes combine the downer with alcohol- which is extremely dangerous) to wind themselves down to get some rest before starting the routine all over the next day.
A drug rehabilitation center is not limited to those who have spent their lives seeing abuse happen before their eyes. They are not all products of low-social and economic standings. They are not in drug treatment simply because they “have nowhere to turn.” People of all walks of life are struggling with addiction for many different reasons. The pressures of life are enormous to some; many people simply just do not know where to turn or how to cope. Maybe they are aware that drug treatment is an option, but when there is a family that needs their care or a job that simply cannot be left for a stay at a drug rehabilitation center, they hide their problems and try to endure. The wake-up call is when legal, work family or health problems arise from the alcohol or drug use.
A person in a professional situation with a family may feel the stress of life and choose the path of drugs to help them through. This will not end well. The job could be lost and the family could be torn apart. There are ways to deal with the world around you. Vista Taos Renewal Center, a Drug Rehabilitation Center in New Mexico provides drug treatment, incorporating a week long family program. If you have a family, it is important to work through drug treatment together. Counseling can help you battle through the anxiety that surrounds you in your life. Self-medicating is not the answer. There is no safe addiction. Prescription pill addiction, even if not taken with other drugs or alcohol can still end a person’s life. Counseling and treatment at an expert drug rehabilitation center is the answer. Seeking help is the first step to a fresh start.
