If this is your first detox rodeo, welcome to sobriety! If this is your hundredth, welcome back, now get your act together. I am going to point out before I get started, that I really relate to the old timer mentality of AA…. you know, the old, “If you drink, you’re going to die” mentality. 

If today is your last day of detox, or you are planning to be heading into detox soon, let me give you a little rundown on what to do when your time in detox starts to comes to a close.

Do’s:

• Go to an inpatient treatment center. Especially if this is your first time trying to get sober. This gives you the separation that is so beneficial from any and all substances.
• If you don’t have the option for treatment, GO TO AA and/or NA MEETINGS. Regardless if you are still unsure that you have a problem, give them a shot. You never know.
• If you are going back home, find hobbies. Keep yourself busy, change your phone number.
• Try to find some supportive groups of people who can understand where you’re at and what are you going through.

Don’ts:

• Don’t immediately assume that you are “cured” because you got some meds and some sleep.
• Don’t contact old friends that you used with for a little while if possible. We are often triggered by people, places, and things.
• Don’t be afraid to go to treatment, obviously it’s not the most fun you could be having, but it will allow to sober up before getting back into the real world.
• DON’T take this for granted, this could be the first day of your whole new life. Just keep an open mind.

I understand that this whole recovery thing can seem really hokey and cultish at times, and what we see in the media doesn’t really do the beauty of the program justice. Before I got sober, I just thought AA was exactly like it looks in Fight Club and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Not to mention, they told me when I came in that I had to find some sort of God? I was not cool with that. I didn’t want to drink the kool-aid for a long time.

So take it from me, someone who has taken advantage of treatment centers and detoxes multiple times, it is much easier to just give the whole thing a shot. I didn’t want to, trust me. I wanted to experiment and try to deny my problem for a while. So obviously, I had multiple “last days of detox.” And for all of them, well all but one, I held on to this secret reservation that I would be able to drink or use normally.

I would like to point out to you though, that people who don’t suffer from addiction, don’t have to CONVINCE themselves that they are normal.

But eventually… push came to shove, and I had to admit that I was royally screwed. So that very final last trip to detox was the real deal. My last day there, I was ready. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t even go to treatment. I just went right to a meeting and raised my hand. And then I stayed around for the next meeting that followed and I asked for help. I did this all day.

The Difference Between the First Timers and the Chronics

When we come in and out of these rooms, we already know what we have to do. We have read the steps on the wall, we have probably been handed a copy of the preamble or the “How it Works” to read at the beginning of the meeting. We KNOW what the solution is. We just have to DO IT.

I live in somewhat of a Mecca of Recovery in the US, South Florida. Since so many people come here to get sober, it is only natural that there are a lot of people who don’t stay sober, and it’s sad to say that I think the majority tends to favor the latter. At least at first for most people. I think that the main reason why relapse is such a problem is because people think that they can get sober without using the 12 steps, or they just weren’t ready to get sober to begin with.

However, for those of you who are attending detox for the very first time, let me tell you, you never have to be there again. You can actually just get this thing, first try. Don’t let anyone you meet tell you or convince you that you don’t need to be here. If you ended up here, chances are, you should probably stay. You are most likely an addict.

So why not give it a shot? Don’t be like me. Don’t float in and out of detox and treatment center, wondering why your life sucks, blaming everyone else and blaming the doctors at the facility, because in the end, and this will always be true, it is only ourselves to blame.

We are in control of our actions, and if we work this program, we can start to align these actions with a program that will literally TRANSFORM us into GOOD PEOPLE.

We won’t hate looking in the mirror anymore, we will be able to look people in the eyes, we will be able to get a good nights sleep. We will be able to live again, like a normal, healthy human being. This last day of detox is the first day of the rest of your life if you take advantage of everything that is in store for you.

Do the right thing, reach out your hand, ask for help, keep asking for help, and work the steps. I guarantee, you will be fine.

In Need of Detox?

It can be intimidating to know that addiction and alcoholism are always right around the corner. Sometimes getting that little push and having medical guidance can be what it takes. Relapse and active addiction/alcoholism are only as preventable as much as we value the sobriety we hold in our hands. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 858-293-1363 or visit restoredtx.wpengine.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.