Getting your life back on track when you are struggling with addiction is a long and hard road, but it is also worth it. Addition to drugs or alcohol can strip you of everything important in your life and leave you feeling alone and worthless. Your measure of self-worth may be so low that you do not believe you are worth saving.

However, as thousands of people in recovery can attest to, the work is well worth it. When you start getting back the things you thought you had lost forever, you see the rewards and the serenity that comes into your life. Too often, people with addictions die before they have the chance to get their lives back, but that doesn’t have to be your story. You can start now on the road to recovery.

1. Get honest about your addiction.

You cannot truly seek help if you are not willing to face what you are doing and be honest about it with yourself and the people you love. Some people have gone so far as looking up their busted mugshots online to show their family and friends how many times they have been arrested and with what charges. While it is difficult, you have to be able to face yourself and the things you did while using it to move forward. Complete honesty is a foundation of recovery and an essential part of earning back the trust of your family and friends.

2. Seek the level of help you need and seek out a continuum of care.

If you are actively using, you will need to go through a detoxification process first and then into treatment. There is a wide range of treatment options, including residential treatment facilities and intensive outpatient, which allow you to return home and join a treatment session several times a week. For many, residential treatment is the most beneficial because it temporarily removes you from the people and places that allow or encourage your use of drugs. Going to a facility far from home can also increase the chances of you staying through the entire program and getting the full value of what they have to offer.

You can visit canadiancentreforaddictions.org to see a great example of a residential treatment facility that will address both your addiction and mental health needs. Too often, people are so focused on their addiction that they fail to address underlying mental health problems, which leads them to relapse. Choosing a facility that will help with both addiction and mental health will allow you the opportunity to get holistic help, so you can go home feeling stable and ready to maintain ongoing recovery.

3. Get deeply involved in the recovery community.

The more you surround yourself with recovery resources and other people in recovery, the more successful you will be at maintaining your sobriety. There is a wide variety of support groups you can join, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery, and Celebrate Recovery. You can also choose to participate in ongoing counseling with a counselor who is experienced in addiction. You can work with a peer supporter, which is someone in long-term recovery that works directly with people new in recovery.

When you leave treatment, you may also choose to live in sober housing. Sober housing is available at different levels but provides individuals new in recovery with a drug-free and alcohol-free living environment. Having this option is particularly important if you do not have a drug-free home to return to. When you are new in recovery, you have to remove yourself from the people and places that encouraged or allowed your addiction.