When you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, your substance use disorder likely occupies just about all of your headspace. You are always thinking about how and when you can get access to more of the substance you are using. You might be constantly aware of—but feel powerless to do anything about—the damage being done to your body, your brain, and more. It can feel like the substance use disorder is the only thing that exists.
But many things can contribute to the development of a substance use disorder. And sometimes, those things are still present after you have gone through treatment to regain your sobriety.
Two of those potential ongoing challenges are chronic pain and persistent mental health disorders. Let’s take a look at each of those challenges and how they might impact your recovery.
The Challenge of Chronic Pain in Recovery
It is unfortunate but true: Many, many people suffer from some degree of chronic pain. The intensity of that pain varies from person to person (and cause to cause), but in nearly all cases, simply dealing with the ongoing pain is a hefty challenge. At times, it can feel like the pain blots out just about everything else.
Some of the difficulties that come with chronic pain include:
- An inability to sleep well, which can lead to an ongoing sense of fatigue
- Difficulty working consistently or for long periods, which may lead to financial problems
- A persistent inability to socialize, which may strain relationships with friends and family and lead to feelings of loneliness
- Ongoingly high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression
- Impaired judgment, reasoning, and cognition, making decision making very difficult
The experience of chronic pain can certainly contribute to the original development of a substance use disorder, and the challenges can be ongoing after you have regained your sobriety. It is absolutely essential for a person in recovery to talk to their doctor and their mental health care providers to develop strategies for alleviating and managing chronic pain.
You can find some ideas for how that might be done in this blog entry. But again, the key, if you find yourself in this situation, is to have a conversation with your health care providers so that they can help you manage both your pain and your recovery.
The Challenge of Mental Health Disorders in Recovery
Mental health disorders—including the various kinds of depression, anxiety and panic disorders, and disorders grounded in trauma—are often entangled with substance use disorders. That is why the rehabilitation portion of treatment (including treatment at Bel Aire Recovery Center) includes addressing co-occurring mental health problems.
Even so, those mental health challenges can follow you into your recovery journey. And that puts your hard-won sobriety at risk. That is why ongoing mental health treatment is essential. And if your treatment is going to include medication—which is often a key part of a treatment plan—you need to be sure your prescriber is aware of your history with substance so that they can make a good decision about how to help you manage your mental health.
It would be wonderful if getting sober resulted in perfect mental health. But unfortunately, that is not the case. Staying engaged with your mental health treatment is extremely important if you are going to maintain your sobriety.
Let Us Help You Get—And Stay—Sober
When you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, it can seem as though you have no real options for improving your situation. The substances are wreaking havoc on your body and brain (and probably on your relationships, your finances, and more). Attempts to quit, however, can result in devastating (and sometimes dangerous) withdrawal symptoms. And so you feel caught in a trap with no way of escaping.
But there is a way out of this terrible situation. Seeking out treatment for your substance use disorder gives you the best chance of reclaiming and maintaining your sobriety over time.
Located near Wichita, Kansas, Bel Aire Recovery Center offers personalized treatment for substance use disorders as well as co-occurring mental health disorders. We provide medically supervised detoxification in a safe environment that is free of temptations. We offer a rehabilitation program centered on individual and group therapy sessions that give you the resources and strategies you need for ongoing sobriety. And we provide a continuum of care to ensure that you can start your recovery journey with confidence and with ongoing connections to people who understand what you have been through and are going through in sobriety.
When you are ready for a life-changing transformation, we are ready to help you make it happen.
