Realizing you have developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol can be frightening. You might feel powerless, as if you don’t know where to turn. Fortunately, there are resources to help you, including your family and friends. If you’re ready to enter addiction treatment, you shouldn’t try to go it alone.
Confiding in Others
As much courage as it takes to admit to yourself that you have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse, it’s an even more significant step to tell others in your life. Confessing that you have developed a substance use disorder can bring up a host of painful emotions, including guilt, shame, anxiety and worthlessness. You might assume that people you love will react to the news with anger or disappointment. However, those closest to you have probably already recognized your self-destructive behavior, and will be relieved to not have to tiptoe around the issue anymore.
Unburdening yourself by admitting your drug and alcohol misuse to the people who care about you most is a profoundly personal matter. The essential thing to remember is that addiction does not define you. It’s not a shortcoming or a character flaw. Anyone can fall into a cycle of substance abuse and find themselves unable to break free on their own, thanks to the way addictive substances alter the chemical balance in the brain.
How to Ask for Help With Your Addiction
When you have an addiction problem, time is of the essence. The sooner you enter a qualified treatment program, the better off you’ll be. You have likely already begun to experience the detrimental effects of your substance abuse problem, such as financial difficulties, shirking responsibilities and a loss of enthusiasm for anything other than getting your next drink or dose.
When you reach out to loved ones to admit to your drinking or drug problem, you’re taking an essential first step toward your recovery. Be honest about your desire to change your life for the better. If they care about you, they will support your decision to go through rehab, especially if you explain that addiction is a chronic disease that requires treatment from medical professionals.
Coming clean to your friends and family about the extent of your substance abuse problem can feel freeing, but now you must commit to the hard work of your recovery. People who agree to serve as the foundation of your sober support network through your entire journey will be an essential ingredient in your success.
The Trap of Denial
Denial is a hallmark of addiction. Many high-functioning addicts maintain a veneer of normalcy in their daily interactions with others, but behind the scenes, they’re in thrall to their substance of abuse. In trying to minimize the severity of your problem or sweep it under the rug, you are allowing your mental, physical and emotional well-being to deteriorate and increasing the odds that you will eventually suffer consequences such as the loss of a job, jail time, accidental overdose and even death.
Once your loved ones learn of your substance abuse problems, they can help keep you accountable for finding help. It may be one of the most challenging things you’ve ever done, but the advantages of admitting your need to seek treatment to your family far outweigh the initial embarrassment or awkwardness you might feel about starting the conversation.
Healing Begins Here
Don’t let pride or stubbornness stand between you and the life-changing addiction help you need to reclaim your well-being. Addiction creates problems that are far too big for you to try to handle on your own, and realizing that makes you a stronger person. Contact us at Vista Taos Renewal Center today.
