Unfortunately, most addicts and alcoholics come to this question at some point in their journey of abuse. If you're asking the question, the answer is probably yes. At some point in our using career, we may have found it easy to stop for periods of time without intervention. However, the progressive nature of addiction often makes these moments of sobriety harder to achieve. Whether it be arrests, jails, or institutions, we addicts and alcoholics find that at some point, we have to be stopped from some outside force to interrupt a run or spree.
Detox is not the final step. A few days or weeks removed from drugs and alcohol gives your mind and body a brief opportunity to repair but the years of abuse make it impossible to expect this respite to provide anything in the way of actual recovery. While a momentous step towards a life of sobriety, detox simply interferes with out ability to use in the short term. The question remains, that once we leave detox, what life are we returning to?
Most have to ask this question and the answer should indicate our direction after leaving a detox or short term rehab facility. From your experience, have you not only stopped using for a period of time, but actually managed to stay stopped? Me either. Until I took the first step in detox, followed by a longer in-patient facility, and finally a sober living house where I was introduced to a thorough 12-step solution. The reason why addicts and alcoholics take this long and arduous journey towards sobriety is because it works.
Usually? It's the only way that does work.
