www.sobriety.ca
With millions of people struggling with addiction what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of that first and most important step when it comes to dealing with the issue? Deciding to make a change and being open and honest with yourself about your disease. It’s perfectly normal to feel conflicted about giving up that substance that has both plagued and “helped” you for so long, even though you know for sure that it’s become a defining and truly negative part of your existence. Let’s face it, you started using the drug for a reason, and in the beginning it may have just been for fun, or even to mask some inner pain or perhaps it was an escape mechanism that helped you put off dealing with some very serious life problems. The truth is the addiction experts and community at large understand your reasons, and while stigma still exists when it comes to substance abuse the experts are there to help you, not judge. Thousands of addicts have made the best decision of their lives and have overcome their alcohol or substance addiction, and most of them didn’t do it on their own. In fact it’s been said that it’s nearly impossible to give up drugs and alcohol without some sort of support network. Whether it be a 12 step program, AA, NA or a professional and medically supervised treatment program offered through a well known facility, people have found ways to kick their bad habits and move on with their lives in a healthy way.
Let there be no mistake, recovering from an alcohol or drug addiction isn’t easy. What many addicts feel during rehab is that they are destined to fail and they aren’t progressing fast enough, so they drop out and continue using drugs. This mindset obviously isn’t the correct one, sobriety as an end goal is very achievable but there is no doubt in the sense of how much you’ll have to struggle to attain it. The feeling of hopelessness is one that often comes with treatment. But no matter how hopeless you may feel about your progress, the best thing to do is try to change your mindset and be as stoic as possible. With professional help and a solid support network, sobriety is possible, but an addict needs to understand that a negative attitude will never benefit them in any way. Recovery isn’t so much a simple highway journey. Instead it is more like a country lane filled with bumps, obstacles and even a little road rage and a few wrong turns. But understanding your disease and getting to the root causes of what made you turn to drugs in the first place can, and will help you achieve your goals in treatment.
The first step of identifying that one may have a problem is vital, and if that realization comes the desire to change it’s time to evaluate the best approaches to helping that person reach sobriety. Perhaps they should start small and attend friendly meetings, or maybe they should consult their family physician for some advice. Or maybe the addiction has become so out of control that an inpatient, full-time treatment facility is the answer. The point is there are great options out there and no addict should feel alone in their struggle. Help is there should you desire to seek it.
