When Abstinence is the Best Choice

We recognize that not everyone is ready for abstinence.  However, there are times when abstinence is the best choice.  Abstinence from alcohol or drugs is refraining or restraining from any alcohol or drug used whatsoever. There comes a time when total abstinence becomes your best alternative. Alcoholics or drug addicts rarely choose the path of abstinence, until they have hit rock bottom and learned that abstaining from alcohol or drugs is the best move for them. When is abstinence from alcohol or drugs the best choice for you?

    When you are on medications.
When on sedatives, antidepressants, and other psychiatric medications, alcohol and other drugs should be completely avoided. When you are on medication for chronic medical conditions like diabetes, alcohol and illicit drugs may have a negative effect on the performance of medications taken for these conditions. It is much safer to abstain from alcohol and drugs if you are taking prescription medications.  Be sure to inform your doctor of your alcohol and drug use if they are prescribing medications for you  due to potential adverse interactions between the medications.

    When you are operating machinery.

Alcohol and drugs impair ones judgment and interferes with reflexes, which are required when you are about to operate machines that could cause danger. For example, one should not use alcohol or drugs while driving a car, operating heavy equipment, a lathe machine, a miller or a pneumatic hammer. These are potentially dangerous machines that require 100% concentration and must never be operated under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If these machines are being operated in areas not easily accessible by humans, like on an offshore rig, total abstinence is the best choice. If you do not abstain, not only will you put your life at risk, you will be putting the life’s of others, as well as the infrastructure.

    If you are planning to get pregnant or you are pregnant.

It is generally recommended that pregnant women or those trying to have a babies should ABSTAIN FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUGS COMPLETELY. Not abstaining places the normal development of the baby at risk. Pregnant women who drink or use drugs  are at increased risk for miscarriages, still birth, premature birth, under weight babies and more. IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, DO NOT DRINK OR USE DRUGS.

    When you have known medical conditions.

Excessive alcohol and drug intake has direct negative impact on your internal organs, especially the  liver. The liver produces enzymes that neutralises alcohol and drugs in the body system. Excessive intake will strain this organ, resulting in cirrhosis. If your liver is not healthy or you have a negative doctor’s report on your liver, abstain from alcohol and drugs completely. This will provide your liver some time to recover.

    When you are “sick and tired” of being “sick and tired”.

This is when alcoholics and drug addicts have nothing left to lose in terms of possessions, status, wealth and perhaps even shelter, food and warmth as a result of their addictions.  Otherwise known as “hitting rock bottom”.  At this stage of the progressive cycle of addiction, one feels they have nothing left to lose and nothing else has worked.  If you have reached this stage, you are likely ready for abstinence.

Abstaining from alcohol and drugs has many healthy benefits. It gives you a chance to restore strained relationships with friends, family, co-workers and supervisors. It improves you judgement, gives you more control over your emotions and your actions. By abstaining, your confidence may be restored and you will feel more in charge of your life.

However, abstinence is a lifestyle choice.  And there are usually risks for relapse.  In addition to changing people, places and things, one needs to also address “stinking thinking”, address unresolved family and relationship ruptures, unresolved losses, depression and anxiety.  Our Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program shares many common methods with other successful rehab programs.  The foundations of our treatment program for substance abuse also rely on the principles of harm reduction, motivational interviewing, stages of change and cognitive behavioral therapy to promote recovery from alcohol abuse treatment and drug abuse treatment.  In fact, our Intensive Outpatient Program in Memphis, TN that has been proven to be effective in the treatment of alcohol abuse and drug treatment in peer reviewed treatment outcome studies.   Our treatment center  provides services to those who need more treatment than one hour a week, but less than 24 hour care, by providing three hours of treatment per day, three to five days per week, in an intensive outpatient setting.  If you or a loved one is showing signs of alcohol abuse or needs drug treatment rehab, they should be assessed by a trained mental health professional who can help design a treatment plan that can result in recovery.  Substance abuse treatment can be highly successful.  Call us at 901-682-6136 to schedule an appointment.