Have you ever been driving in an unfamiliar location and ended up turning the wrong way on a one-way street? It can be quite disorienting—and a quite dangerous—experience. All of a sudden, there are cars driving right at you in the lane you think you should be in. Changing lanes does not really help because cars are also coming right at you in that lane. You will likely be desperate to turn onto another street, but you might find it difficult to do so due to traffic, additional one-way streets, a lack of nearby side streets, and more.
When you find yourself in this situation, you have to make a quick decision, and that quick decision also needs to be a good decision. The result of your decision might take you someplace you did not intend to go, like a driveway, a parking lot, or an alley that takes you away from your ultimate destination rather than toward it. That is a small price to pay, however, if it keeps you and others on the road safe.
The road that leads toward a substance use disorder can make you feel as though you are headed the wrong way on that one-way street. Your path is full of hazards, and the longer you keep going in the wrong direction, the more likely it is that something catastrophic will happen.
That catastrophe might prove deadly for you or for someone else who crosses your path at the wrong moment.
While other consequences of a substance use disorder are not as final as death, they are plenty bad. Your physical health will deteriorate. Your mental health will be undermined. Your relationships—even your closest connections—might fall apart under the weight of your substance use. Your ability to work might be impaired, and that can lead to significant financial problems. The list of potential bad outcomes is long.
Given those dire consequences, the key question becomes this: how can you get yourself turned around so that a substance use disorder does not upend your life or the life of others around you?
We are glad you asked.
Plowing Forward Is Not a Viable Option
To return to our driving metaphor, imagine that instead of finding a way to exit the road safely, you decide to just plow ahead on that one-way street with no real plan for getting yourself going in the proper direction. You might be able to keep it up for a while. Folks will honk at you and swerve around you. You may find yourself doing some questionable driving to avoid oncoming traffic. But with some luck, you could probably barrel down that road in the wrong direction for a period of time.
Eventually, however, your luck would run out. There is just no way to travel safely when you are moving in the wrong direction. An eventual crash is a near certainty.
The same is true when it comes to a substance use disorder. If you just keep doing what you have been doing when it comes to substance use, you are eventually going to find yourself in an untenable position. There is simply no way that moving in the wrong direction will somehow end up turning out all right.
You really are going to need to take positive action in order to reclaim your life. You might think of it as a necessary detour.
The Necessity of a Detour
In our story about heading the wrong way on a one-way street, we noted that you might find yourself having to make a quick decision that might take you someplace you were not intending to go. When you have developed a substance use disorder, you need to quickly change your direction before things get any worse than they are.
Now, nobody likes a detour. They are inconvenient and time-consuming. But sometimes they offer the only reliable way to get from point A to point B.
In the same way, nobody is hoping to have to go into treatment for a substance use disorder. Doing so might seem too disruptive to your day-to-day life and might seem like it will take far too long to be practical. But when it comes to turning your life around and leaving drugs or alcohol in your rearview mirror, high-quality treatment is the most reliable way to get from where you are now to where you want to be.
Point Yourself in the Direction of The Farley Center
The Farley Center, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, has recently been named one of the best substance use disorder treatment facilities in the nation. What does that mean for you?
It means that if you need to take a detour to address a substance use disorder, heading to The Farley Center is an excellent decision. You can count on our highly trained team to provide evidence-based care that is personalized to meet your specific needs. You can also be sure that you will never encounter judgment or disrespect as you move through our treatment program. Instead, you can be confident that you will be listened to and treated with kindness and empathy.
When you’re ready to take the road to a life free of substance use, we’re here to help.
