Encouragement and Hope for Addiction Problems
Sometimes you can feel like you are repeating the same cycle over and over again. You get sober or clean for a while, then something triggers things and you fall back down. Remember, you were able to stay alcohol or drug-free for a period of time. That is an accomplishment and show you have the capacity to sustain it. What gets in the way?
First of all, evaluate your friendships and what your social circle is composed of. Do your friends drink or use drugs as part of hanging out? You have to say no to these invitations because at this point you probably do not have the self-control to say no when you are there. This may mean you have nothing to do, but there are movies, there are restaurants etc and if those friends do those things you can always meet them in types of settings that are healthy. It is best though to wean yourself away and develop interactions with people who aren’t addicted to substances or alcohol. You have gotten over things in your life. Think about some of them. It could be the first boyfriend, the anger towards someone in your past, hurt by school mates, disappointment about a promotion etc. If you need inspiration see Forrest Gump or another movie that shows hardships and victories.
Many people find NA (narcotics anonymous) or alcoholics anonymous helpful. But there are also other approachse and you can look for these non–12-Step programs which include Rational Recovery, SMART, and Women for Sobriety. Find a meeting or group to attend. Also, check with local mental health agencies to see if they have ongoing groups for addiction you can attend.
In one of those 3 am reflections look at yourself. Do you see any of the following: deterioration of the body, A decrease in work performance. emotional problems, feelings of isolation , fear you won’t get to satisfy the next craving? This means you really are hooked and need to work on getting free from the addiction. Do you end up being in denial all the time that you have a problem, annoyed by people’s concerns for you and never thinking anything is your fault? Look at this mental habit.
Take some time to think about what you’d really like to do. What else do you get real satisfaction from- something that you feel is good for you body and soul? When was the last time you did what you love? You can get free and stay free from alcohol, opiates, marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy. Remember that.
The problem is when you are really depressed it’s hard to find anything to make things better. You lose your hope and the things you know are good to do like exercising and calling friends you just don’t want to do and doing drugs is easier.
I thought that part of Forest Gump was really well done about her addiction. That was so beautiful when Forest asked if the little boy was like him and he was afraid he had a learning disability. Drug addiction robs you of your life so bad.