“Achieving true sobriety goes beyond abstinence. It’s also about healing your soul, apologizing for damage you did to others, and seeking forgiveness.”

~Lou Gramm, Jukebox Hero: My Five Decades in Rock ‘n Roll

Addiction is an incurable disease beyond your control that makes your life completely unmanageable until you make the choice to enter rehab. If you are like most substance abusers, you have probably already several attempts to get clean and sober, but because you were not truly ready, those attempts all failed.

How do you TRULY know when you are ready to step away from a dysfunctional life driven by alcohol and drugs? How do you know that THIS TIME will be different?

Here are 5 signs that you might be ready to commit to your own recovery:

Sign #1 – Addiction Has Separated You from Your Family and Friends

Every actively-addicted step you take moves you farther and farther away from your loved ones. Your friends and family may have even needed to detach from you in order to regain some sense of normalcy in their lives.

Successful sobriety may be the only way for you to reconnect with the people you care about.

Sign #2 – Addiction Is Affecting Your Health

Chronic substance abuse can wreck your mental and physical health, causing deterioration, disability, disease, disorder, and death. Alcohol abuse, for example, shortened lifespan by an average of seven-and-a-half years.  Other possible health consequences include:

• Injury from accidents or violence
• Malnutrition/Unhealthy Weight Loss
• STDs
• Cancer – 1 in 30 cancer deaths are alcohol-related
• Cirrhosis
• Brain Imbalance/Damage
• Heart Disease
• Hypertension/Stroke
• Seizures
• Anxiety
• Depression
• PTSD
• Psychosis
• Lowered IQ
• Suicidal Thoughts
• Overdose – the #1 cause of accidental death in the US.

When you start living a healthier life free from alcohol and drugs, you begin to heal from the damage caused by substance abuse.

Sign #3 – The Legal Consequences of Your Addiction Are Growing

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, reports that 80% of people in jail or prison are there because of alcohol or drug abuse:

• DUI’s
• Public Intoxication
• Domestic Abuse
• Child Maltreatment
• Assault
• Theft/Burglary
• Fraud/Bad Checks
• Fines and Restitution
• Drug Court
• Probation

If you want to break free from an addiction-fueled cycle of crime and incarceration, specialized professional treatment gives you your best chance of success.

Sign #4 – You Are Hurting Yourself or Others

Even if you are a gentle, loving person you when sober, substance abuse can bring out a darker, more violent side. Substance abuse is involved in:

• 80% of all incidences of intimate partner violence.
• 50% of all sexual assaults/rapes.
• 81% of all Child Protective Services cases.

Distressingly, 45% of individuals with untreated addictive disorders commit suicide.

Sobriety can be the shield that protects you and other people from the tragedy and violence commonplace with addiction.

Sign #5 – Addiction Has Made Your Life Unmanageable

Early on in your addiction, you probably “maintained” your normal life for a while, even while your drugging and drinking progressively got worse. You may be ready for a change if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Work problems – suspension, demotion, termination, serial unemployment
• Ruined relationships – separation, breakups, divorce, family estrangement, lost friendships
• Poor living conditions – cluttered, filthy, garbage-filled, damaged, homelessness
• Broken moral boundaries – crime, dishonesty, prostitution
• Obsession—your life revolves around obtaining and using substances

“Rock bottom” means you are sick and tired of an out-of-control addiction-driven life and are ready to commit to the time and effort or recovery.

Once, you were willing to do anything for another fix or another drink. When you become just as ready to do whatever it takes to regain your sobriety and your future, then it’s time to contact Chapman House rehab services in Orange County.