Nobody ever really wants to become a drug addict, but if you're a parent, there's an even louder voice in your head crying for you to give up drugs. Addiction destroys you from the inside out, eventually taking everything in your life with it, including those precious kids. For many people struggling with a drug or alcohol problem, but especially parents, outpatient treatment services can help you climb out of the dark and doomed hole you've dug for yourself.

1. You Can Follow A Normal Daily Routine, Minus The Drugs

Opting for outpatient treatment should mean being able to keep your job and go about your business the way you normally would, as opposed to being locked up in a facility 24/7. Working closely with a drug addiction counselor, you can still face whatever the day brings, only without relying on drugs. For example, you'll learn to avoid the situations, such as those that induce high anxiety, that prompt you to want to pop a pill, take a hit, or otherwise lean on a substance. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help you learn about the underlying causes of your addiction, which you can then address, rather than simply covering them up and numbing your feelings with drugs.

Ask your addiction counselor about dialectical behavior therapy, which uses support and cognitive-based approaches to address mood disorders, including PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), if you feel your drug addiction is fueled by emotional burdens and your inability to control a positive thought pattern. There are many types of therapies a counselor can implement to help you, no matter what substance you're abusing and no matter what underlying problems you're facing.

2. Outpatient Treatment Is Generally More Affordable Than Inpatient Services

It costs a lot of money to stay in any facility, and drug treatment is no different. If you can't afford the hefty bill of staying in a treatment facility for a month or longer, outpatient help can guide your life onto a drug-free path without you having to mortgage your soul. If, however, you discover that the outpatient treatment isn't intense enough for your problem, your counseling team may be able to direct you to something affordable or covered by your insurance. Just because one treatment is more economical over another, your access to either shouldn't be restricted according to your ability to pay.

3. Your Family And Friends Can Actively Support Your Effort To Come Clean

Especially if you have sober friends and clean family members whose hearts have broken over watching your life fall apart over drug abuse, let them support you now in your efforts to become free from the grip of addiction. For many people, it's the love of others that get them through the most difficult stages of sobriety.

4. The Familiar Environment Of Home May Make Quitting Easier

Being in your own home and doing your own (drug-free) thing can also make breaking bad habits easier. Rather than being under the scrutiny of a 24/7 facility, which in-and-of-itself can be stressful, up until the time of release, you can relax in your own house, sleep in your own bed, and do things like repair the cabinets that have been broken for so long or finish a painting or novel you've been meaning to get back to. Keep your activities focused away from the people you'd obtain drugs from or use drugs with, but enjoy the life you have in familiar and comfortable surroundings.

5. You Can Be With Your Kids Who Need You

As a parent, you know your kids need you and there should be no greater motivating factor than the children who love and depend on you. Being around them, day to day, should help you stick with your clean living program, adhere to the advice of your counselor and achieve the sober goals you're setting for yourself.

Look into the possibilities of outpatient help sooner, rather than later, especially because you have children depending on you and especially because you want help, otherwise, you wouldn't have finished reading all these words.

For more information on outpatient drug addiction treatment, contact an organization like Evergreen Recovery Centers.