One of the most difficult situations an addict will face in their addicted life is that of acknowledging they have a problem and seeking the help they need. This isn’t an easy process and many people who are not addicted or have never been addicted to alcohol or drugs simply may not understand this challenge, or realize how intense and tough it is to admit a problem and then deal with it. One of the reasons for this is that every addict, even though there are thousands of others suffering from addiction to the same substance, is different. They may take more or less drugs than others, they may be what some call “functioning” drug addicts which means they can hold down a job, a family and even play golf on Sundays but are still suffering, and there are plenty more addicts who become criminals and are thrown behind bars for small time crimes and never get the opportunity to be offered the treatment and support they need to begin their journey towards sobriety. No matter what the situation is, these people need help and many already know it, but when your mind is fixated on the next hit of heroin, cocaine or the next glass of scotch, it is difficult to make rational decisions on your own about where, when and how to seek help when it comes to the poison you are putting into your body every day.
A service that is beginning to pick up speed within the drug recovery community are the various twenty-four hour helplines that are free to call. You wont find all the support you need by talking to someone over the phone, but what you will get is a trained addiction specialist of one sort or another who knows the ins and outs of the recovery industry and that person has the skills to guide you and help you make some important decisions about recovery and eventual sobriety. They often start small and encourage addicts to seek help from a local meeting group, like AA or NA, but if more aggressive tactics need to be used to save an addicts life, an addiction specialist from a variety of hotlines can recommend the best facilities and programs in their area, as well as offer important knowledge and wisdom when it comes to an addict who is making their first call to a hotline, but may not yet be ready to change their ways over night.
Some of these hotlines are in fact tied to specific rehab facilities, but there are a number of free guidance hotlines that are non for profit and have helped many addicts with one of the most important decisions in their lives. The decision to make a change for their families, their health and their future. Hotlines like these are now serving as a gateway to the recovery process. In addiction terminology, some drugs like pot served as a gateway drug, but in the recovery process, these hotlines may very well be the new gateway to good health and sobriety.
