When Life Happens Sometimes Addiction Happens
I never thought of myself becoming dependent on alcohol to get through my day. It just never crossed my mind it was an issue until it felt almost too late. Three children, a job, mortgage, and marriage didn’t deter from using alcohol. It took outpatient alcohol rehab at Adjustments to finally start clearing the fog around the damage from my drinking.
It started gradually. Ever since high school I have been a regular drinker. I partied in college and did what most people do when they grow up. I learned a little moderation. Especially when I first had my children.
Yet there were always excuses to drink. Work happy hours, work retreats, weddings, funerals, baby showers, promotions, achievements, etc. Drinks began to add up. I gained weight. Occasionally I’d have a night that I didn’t remember or I’d blackout. Rather than saving a drink until a special occasion I made it a weekly thing.
The Slippery Slope of my Alcohol Use Disorder
Then it was a few nights a week, then nightly, then daily too. I began to forget things. First, they were small things, like a notepad I needed for work, or a snack for a child. But then the things I forgot became bigger. I’d forget a meeting at work or a deadline. I’d forget my husband’s birthday or our anniversary.
But I knew I had hit rock bottom when I forgot to pick my child up after school one day. She was standing outside for hours in the cold wondering where I was. She didn’t have a phone or a way to reach me. I am lucky that nothing happened to her. Often, what haunts me at night is the thought of what could have happened to her that day.
Thankfully she got a ride home from a friend’s (unhappy) parent. She was in tears the whole night. Even in my drunken stupor I knew I had blown it. I felt like the worst mother in the world. My drinking had gotten in the way of me being a parent. And I also had enough left in me to realize what could happen if I continued down this path. With the help of my husband, we found an outpatient program at Adjustment Family Services.
What Is Outpatient Alcohol Rehab?
For me, even though alcohol had been disrupting my life, I didn’t need detox or any clinical services. What I needed was structured support. I was able to receive that with the outpatient program at Adjustment Family Services. This was really important to me because it allowed me to get the care I needed while slowly allowing myself to take care of my family again.
Another big benefit was that Adjustment Family Services was close to where I lived. Having an outpatient rehab program near me was important. It allowed me to go to meetings when I needed to but it also allowed me to be home with my children when needed.
I happen to live in Southern California in Simi Valley anyway and I was very familiar with all the offerings for rehab in Ventura County, and after looking around and even taking tours I decided Adjustment Family Services was the best fit for me. I found a lot of benefits to having a close location. For one, being close to the center gives you less of an excuse to not attend programs and use the services. It also cuts down on your commute time.
What Is Outpatient Alcohol Rehab Like?
Another benefit along with commute time is the flexibility of the program. I can cater meetings to my schedule. An inpatient program would have caused me to stop working entirely. I didn’t feel I needed to do that. Rather, I decided that I would work part time while attending outpatient treatment.
With all the bills we were facing as a family another benefit of Adjustment Family Services was that an outpatient treatment was affordable. If you truly need an inpatient program there are ways and ones to find that are affordable. But in my case being near home, having the option to continue working and caring for my family helped me in my recovery and our bank.
During my time at Adjustment Family Services I started to attend an AA meeting nearby. The place I went to had AA meeting almost 5 times a day. My sponsor lived nearby. Between my family, some of the people I met at Adjustment Family Services and through AA, I felt I had a wide support network right where I lived. This was helpful for me because we were fairly certain we would be staying in the area.
When I struggled or had challenges (and I did) I knew who and where to go to for help. In a NIH study, some of the services offered by outpatient programs can be early stage relapse management or the development of coping strategies.
Benefits Of Choosing an Outpatient Alcohol Rehab Near Me
When I first began to recognize my problem, I felt entirely overwhelmed. I wanted to get help, but I had no idea where to look at first. Honestly, I didn’t do anything magic other than look up “rehab centers near me”. From there I was able to compile a list of possible places to visit. I had the help and support of my husband who was very involved in getting me into the right program.
We wanted to make sure that we visited each place before we committed to understand what kind of facility it was. Choosing the best facility in Southern California means visiting a lot of places because thankfully there are a lot of options.
Inpatient Vs. Outpatient Treatment Programs
We landed on Adjustment Family Services for several reasons. Location and price did play into our decision but really what made the program speak to me was the immediate care and attention I received when I stopped by for an informational session. I was received as a human who was in need, not like I was a customer who they were trying to get the most money out of.
I think that is what makes Adjustment Family Services the best. They took the time to meet me, go through the services with me, and help me understand what the pros and cons were.
Outpatient Treatment Services in Ventura County
They even told me about other programs in the area listing what they had in comparison to their services. It was the first lesson I had in my recovery. That at the end of the day, the choice was mine. I felt a connection with the staff there.
I think that’s important to have and important for your recovery. If you have a choice in your treatment, you should choose the one that feels most comfortable to you and for me Adjustment Family Services had the friendliest staff of all the treatment centers I visited. They also had a family program so my family was able to feel included in the process.
Sober Living and Attending Outpatient Services
The reasons for going to an outpatient recovery program are varying. I only shared my personal experience. My time at Adjustment Family Services allowed me to heal and become my former self. Recovery also gave me the tools I needed going forward to be able to navigate some of life’s stressors. Unfortunately, about a year into recovery I did relapse. I felt really ashamed. I felt like I had let down everyone around me.
Luckily, I already had a support system ready for me nearby. I checked back into the outpatient program at Adjustment Family Services and got back on track. I can thankfully say that now I have been sober without looking back for two years. Every day is a challenge, but it gives me a peace of mind to know that I have support not too far down the road from where I live.
I was even close enough that I could take transit or walk. Once again, it helped eliminate obstacles to get the help I needed. That was important to me for my recovery to be effective. Outpatient treatments can help with any kind of addiction. Although mine was alcoholism and I didn’t need medical assistance, the CDC reports that there are outpatient medical assistance programs for opioid addiction.
Life Skills Training and Lasting Recovery with Outpatient Care
The NIH found that the definition of recovery can mean a lot of different things for a lot of different people. You need to find the correct path and treatment for yourself. Once you find the right one, you’ll know if you put the effort in and it begins to work. In my case, it took two tries, and maybe in yours it will take three or four. Don’t give up, recovery can be a long road but it’s worth every step you take.
Now I’m sitting watching my daughter as she blows out her 10th birthday candle. I wonder sometimes if she remembers the days when I was in recovery and before when I was in the throes of my drinking. I know she understands that her mom goes to meetings where there are supportive people who have similar issues.
Reaching Out for Help with Adjustments Family Services
I know that she understands that sometimes we get into challenging situations where we need support. And I’ve realized that even though I wish I never had to go through all the pain of my addiction, I taught my children an important lesson. Help is out there, and you should never be afraid to seek or ask for it.
If you’re struggling, give yourself the break you deserve and call the people at Adjustments Family Services, they are kind and can get you the help needed to feel better. I know it made a world of difference for me and my family.