You Don’t Have to Hit Rock Bottom

There’s a familiar story we tell about addiction: things get worse and worse until someone finally “hits rock bottom.” Only then do they get help. Real life doesn’t have to work that way. You don’t have to lose your job. You don’t have to damage every relationship in your life. You don’t have to experience a DUI, a medical emergency, or another major consequence before deciding that alcohol or drug use has become a problem.

Sometimes the best time to ask for help is when you begin wondering if you need it.

What Does a Problem Actually Look Like?

Substance use problems don’t always look the way we expect them to. A person can still go to work every day. They can take care of their children, pay their bills, show up for friends, and look completely “fine” from the outside. That doesn’t necessarily tell us what is happening behind closed doors or how hard someone may be working to keep everything together.

Some changes may be easier to dismiss at first:

• Drinking or using more than you intended

• Trying to cut back and finding it difficult

• Relying on alcohol or drugs to cope with stress, anxiety, sadness, or difficult situations

• Spending more time using substances or recovering from their effects

• Pulling away from activities or people you once enjoyed

• Experiencing problems at work, school, home, or in relationships

• Continuing to use despite recognizing that it is affecting your physical or mental health

• Taking greater risks while drinking or using

These signs don't automatically tell you that someone has a substance use disorder. That requires an appropriate assessment. But they can be reasons to pay attention rather than waiting for something more serious to happen.

“But It Isn’t That Bad.”

This can be one of the easiest reasons to put off asking for help. Maybe you haven't lost anything. Maybe no one else seems concerned. Maybe you can point to someone whose substance use appears much more serious than yours. Maybe most days, life still looks pretty normal.

The question doesn't have to be, “Is my life bad enough to deserve help?”

A better question might be: “Is this affecting my life in a way I don't want it to anymore?”

If the answer is yes, or even maybe, that is worth exploring.

Substance use disorders also exist at different levels of severity. A person does not have to meet someone's idea of “severe addiction” before their relationship with a substance deserves attention.

What Early Intervention Can Look Like

Early intervention doesn't necessarily mean immediately entering a residential treatment program. It can begin much smaller. It might mean being honest with your doctor about how much you're drinking or using. It could mean completing a screening, talking with a counselor, calling a treatment provider to ask questions, or telling someone you trust that you're concerned. For a family member, it might mean bringing up changes you've noticed before there has been a major crisis.

The purpose isn't to put a label on someone as quickly as possible. It's to understand what is happening, how serious it may be, and what kind of support, if any, is appropriate.

There are established approaches specifically designed to identify risky substance use earlier. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), for example, is used to identify people who may be at risk and connect them with an appropriate level of intervention or treatment.

In other words, early intervention isn't just a nice idea.

We don't have to wait for the most severe consequences before taking substance use seriously.

Treatment Doesn't Look the Same for Everyone

Another reason people sometimes wait is because they assume asking for help automatically means leaving home and entering “rehab.” Treatment is much broader than that.

Depending on someone's needs, care may include outpatient counseling, intensive outpatient treatment, residential treatment, recovery housing, peer or mutual-support programs, family involvement, mental health services, or a combination of approaches.

The appropriate starting point depends on the individual.

At Serenity House, our continuum of care includes Adult and Adolescent Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient services, DUI services, Extended Residential Treatment, Halfway Houses and Recovery Homes, along with support designed to help people rebuild independence and return to their communities.

The first step doesn't require knowing which one you need. Sometimes the first step is simply asking.

If You're Worried About Someone You Love

Watching someone you care about struggle can create its own kind of uncertainty. You may wonder whether you're overreacting. You may be afraid that bringing it up will push them away. Or you may keep waiting for the “right moment” to say something. You don't need to diagnose someone to express concern.

Start with what you've actually noticed...

“I've noticed you haven't seemed like yourself lately.”

“You've mentioned wanting to cut back a few times, and I'm wondering how that's going.”

“I'm worried about you.”

Try to listen without turning the conversation into an interrogation. You may not get the response you hope for the first time. You also can't force another person to be ready. But you can make it clear that help exists and that they don't have to figure everything out alone.

Earlier Is Still Worth It

There is no prize for waiting until things become unbearable. You don't need a dramatic story. You don't need to prove that things are “bad enough.” And you don't need to compare your experience to someone else's.

If alcohol or drug use is beginning to take more from your life than you want to give it, pay attention to that. If you're worried about someone you love, pay attention to that too. A turning point doesn't always look like rock bottom.

Sometimes it looks like recognizing what's happening, and deciding you don't want to find out how much worse it could become. You can ask for help before everything falls apart.

Serenity House Counseling Services provides a continuum of substance use treatment and recovery services for adults, adolescents, and families throughout the Chicagoland area.

If you have questions about treatment for yourself or someone you love, contact Serenity House to learn more about available services and the next step that may be right for you.