We often hear about the concept of “hitting rock bottom” within the recovery community. While some people are motivated to finally seek treatment for addiction once they’ve reached the end of their rope, “rock bottom” is a dangerous misconception.
In its most basic sense, hitting rock bottom means that before you can recover from addiction, you have to reach the lowest point of your life due to substance abuse. It’s often associated with the loss of relationships with friends and family, a job, housing and good health.
But thinking about addiction and addiction treatment in such an extreme way carries consequences. The notion that you can only do something about it once you’ve crashed, burned and reached your lowest low is just plain dangerous.
There Is No “Right” Time for Treatment
The signs of substance abuse and addiction become apparent to the addict and their family soon enough. If you realize this, then you know you have to change. Continuing to bide your time abusing substances while you wait to hit bottom is risky.
Think of it this way: Would a cardiologist recommend that a patient wait until their blood pressure gets even higher before prescribing medication or considering surgery? Of course not. Why treat substance abuse issues the same way? Procrastination could lead to grave consequences that could impact your health and your life.
On the one hand, the idea of rock bottom largely isn’t useful. You don’t need to check things off your list before beginning treatment. In fact, people who have fewer problems and less stress could actually be more motivated in recovery. On the other hand, if you’ve suffered from years of substance abuse and are ready to make a change, you may believe you have nowhere to go but up. In that sense, the notion that you’ve already hit bottom can motivate you to seek treatment and create a better life for yourself.
Rebuilding your life depends on whether or not you believe you can. You have a real chance at recovery, whether you’re sick of being wrapped up in a cycle of self-destruction or you’ve just lost everything that matters to you. Recovery can begin at any time. You don’t have to wait to reach rock bottom while you continue down a path of self-harm.
Help is available. BRC Recovery offers comprehensive, holistic addiction recovery programs designed to meet the unique needs of each client. Contact us at 866.905.4550 to learn more about how our recovery services can help you or someone you love recover from substance abuse.