3 Sure-Fire Ways to Sabotage Your Recovery Success in Suboxone Rehab
The damaging effects of opiate abuse and addiction can stay with you long after drug use stops. Chronic opiate abuse not only impairs the brain and body on a physical level, but also leaves behind considerable psychological damage.
Suboxone rehab is designed to treat both the physical and psychological aspects of opiate addiction using the combined effects of Suboxone and behavior-based interventions. These components of Suboxone rehab are equally important to your ongoing success in recovery.
Knowing what not to do as you progress in Suboxone rehab can go a long way towards avoiding untimely relapse episodes along the way.
If you’re considering Suboxone treatment and need help finding a program that’s right for you, call our toll-free helpline at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) .
Suboxone Treatment
Suboxone alone won’t be able to shift your addiction mindset.
According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, the aftereffects of chronic opiate abuse leave the brain’s chemical system in a state of perpetual imbalance. Until balance is restored, you will continue to experience residual withdrawal effects, such as depression and insomnia. Persistent drug cravings will also work against your ability to maintain continued abstinence.
Suboxone rehab serves a two-fold purpose: to relieve withdrawal and drug craving effects and to break compulsive drug-using behavior patterns. In effect, the drug acts as both a medicinal treatment and a behavioral treatment.
While effective in its own right, the aftereffects of opiate abuse also leave behind a drug-dependent mindset. This means your thinking and emotions have been conditioned to seek out opiates as a means for coping with stress, conflict and daily responsibilities.
For these reasons, Suboxone’s effects alone are not enough to prevent drug-using urges and behaviors from resurfacing.
3 Ways to Sabotage Your Recovery
1. Not Following Dosage Instructions
Suboxone’s ability to mimic addictive opiates accounts for its therapeutic effects. Three distinct treatment stages -induction, stabilization and maintenance- require specific dosage levels that change based on how you respond to the drug, according to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Not following exact dosage instructions works against Suboxone’s intended effects. This also makes it more difficult for your doctor to adjust your dosage levels correctly as you progress through rehab.
2. Using Suboxone as a Cure for Addiction
Most people have grown accustomed to taking a drug and expecting certain results. In like manner, it can be easy to view Suboxone as a cure for addiction much like a person views aspirin as a cure for headaches.
The only problem with this is Suboxone can only do so much in terms of addressing the ingrained belief systems and motivations that characterize the addiction mindset. In this respect, it’s important to view Suboxone rehab as a two-pronged treatment approach that combines the effects of the drug with ongoing behavior-based treatment interventions.
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3. Skipping Addiction Treatment Sessions
The behavioral-based component of Suboxone rehab typically includes:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Support group meetings
- Relapse prevention training
These interventions work to equip you with the mental tools needed to overcome drug-using urges from day-to-day.
While Suboxone’s therapeutic effects may leave you feeling in control of addiction-based tendencies, neglecting the behavioral component of Suboxone rehab places you at ongoing risk of relapse.
If you have questions about Suboxone treatment or need help finding a treatment program, call our helpline at 888-646-0865 (Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.
