Individuals who are suffering from alcohol or drug use, abuse, dependency, or addiction may find the task of giving up their substance of choice daunting. Generally, people who are substance abusers structure their whole lives around acquiring and using that substance, so the entire focus of their life has to change in order to move from substance abuse to sobriety. In addition to this complete lifestyle change, there is also the very real process of removing the substance from the body. This process can be long and painful, physically, mentally, and emotionally.