Addiction will often look different for every person, with some individuals requiring moderate checkups while others require in-patient monitoring. Despite these differences, the signs of addiction will be similar, with most people exhibiting behavioral problems or underlying health issues. Unfortunately, a large percentage of recovering addicts will try to quit cold turkey. While this marks a significant step in recovery, it often comes with significant risks that could jeopardize your safety and that of others around you.
Does Not Address the Root of Addiction
The majority of addicts have been found to turn to drug use due to various challenges in their lives, with numerous facing mental, physical and emotional struggles. Trying to quit on your own only seeks to treat the effects rather than addressing the underlying problem. Without any professional help like https://www.ascendantny.com/detox-centers-new-jersey/ to help you with your counseling, the cold turkey method will only last for the short term, with drug consumption cropping up when the underlying causes arise. This makes it an endless cycle of ups and downs without any progress in your recovery.
Could Lead to Overdoses
Since your body is already dependent on your preferred substance use, trying to quit cold turkey will only provide relief for a few days or weeks, after which an intense desire for the drug could get out of hand. Your body would likely need to compensate for the missing drug intake, causing heightened consumption. This means taking more than your usual dose, a factor that has often been shown to cause overdoses for addicts.
May Lead to Serious Health Risk
Being a drug addict means that your body can only function with the help of drug use, a factor that comes with an increased risk of withdrawal symptoms. This can often manifest in the form of muscle cramps, seizures, and cardiac arrest. If these are not taken care of by a health professional, it could lead to unreversible health risks. This means that you are likely to experience hallucinations, changes in blood pressure, and the risk of falling into a coma. In addition to this, individuals in charge of heavy machinery could put others in harm’s way when seizures and cramps occur, putting the general public in danger.
Effective Ways To Deal With Drug Addiction
With the above dangers in mind, trying to quit on your own comes with more cons than benefits. It is for this reason that getting professional help will be your best fit. A trained addiction expert will determine the severity of your addiction while also helping you get to the cause of your underlying mental or emotional condition. With this assessment, you get tailor-made therapy and treatment, allowing you to get a successful long-term recovery.
Professionals will also help you deal with withdrawal symptoms appropriately, as most will be monitored to prevent fatalities. With this, you also reduce your risk of relapses, allowing you to strengthen your coping mechanisms during your everyday activities. Essential coping structures may be external support systems, in-house treatments, weekly check-ins, or ongoing rehab visitations.
Based on the type of substance abuse, professionals will also help you build the right diet plan, a factor that often goes unrecognized when trying to quit drugs on your own. An expert will look at your nutritional deficiencies and create the proper strategy to help you keep up with your body’s needs. If you have any ongoing health issues, they can also help you boost your immune system while eliminating organ failure that often comes with drug addiction. To avoid any of the above-listed risks of quitting drug addiction on your own, consider reaching out to a professional to help you get the best chances of recovery.