Some people might tell you that you can beat drug addiction and alcoholism on your own. They believe that treatment centers are ineffective or unnecessary. These misconceptions could not be further from the truth. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people out there who don’t really understand that addiction is a disease. You can’t just wake up one day and decide to quit, and then do it. If this were possible, you would have done it already. For the vast majority of addicts, no amount of willpower or motivation is enough for them to become sober on their own.

The characteristics of willpower and motivation are extremely beneficial, however, within the structure of a drug and alcohol rehab program. In a treatment center, you will learn the skills that are necessary to let these traits work for you. When you try to quit on your own, being motivated only leads to frustration. No matter how much you may want to, the chemical changes that have occurred in your brain as a result of long-term substance abuse will not allow you to simply stop using. The framework of a rehabilitation center and the professional help you will receive there give you back the power to make decisions for yourself, rather than letting drugs and alcohol choose your life for you.

Don’t listen to the uninformed people who tell you that addiction is a personality flaw. Refuse to buy into the idea that addiction treatment programs won’t help you enormously in your efforts to beat this disease. If you want to get healthy and have a chance at a new beginning in life, you have a decision to make. This choice is not whether you should go to a rehab center; it is deciding which one will be able to meet your needs best.