There is more to addiction than what most people think. It’s not just about rebelling or wanting to harm oneself. Addiction, much like anxiety and depression, if a brain disease. With some drugs, just one try can lead to addiction.
The more you know about drugs and alcohol the more understanding you can be of the plight that addicts go to, and the easier it will be to notice when your own friends and family members have an issue. Here are some important things that can help you understand addiction, no matter what the addiction is, so that you can be educated on the topic and less judgmental to those people suffering.
You Need Help To Get Clean
While there are some people that get off drugs and alcohol on their own, and even manage to stay clean, it is usually wise to get professional help to get clean. That help comes from a few places, including having friends and family that are supportive.
Whether you are the addict or it is someone you know, getting help can save the addict a lot of trouble and heartache in the long run. That means going to therapy, attending addiction meetings, and possibly even going to rehab.
Be Less Judgmental About Addiction
By being educated and understanding the underlying causes that can lead to addiction it can be easier for you to be less judgmental about addicts. When people only see addicts as bad people that want to harm themselves or others they put a bad stigma on addiction and make it look like something different than it really is.
Many addicts have a dual diagnosis, meaning they suffer from some other mental illness aside from the addiction. Many addicts get addicted after trying to self-medicate for something else, like anxiety or depression. Even stress can lead to addiction.
An Addict Is Always Quitting
Once an addict always an addict. Addiction changes the chemistry in your brain which makes you need the substance you are addicted to. That is why it is important for an addict to always continue quitting. You may need to remind yourself on a daily basis that you don’t need your drug of choice.
Continue going to meetings, avoid situations where you may be tempted, and understand that not everyone is going to be on your side. Recovering addicts may need to make new friends and cut some people out of their lives. Enablers may help addicts fall back off the wagon, and the more you yo-yo back into addiction the more you are risking your life.
Even if you aren’t an addict or don’t personally know someone with an addiction, it is helpful to learn about addiction in order to be more understanding of the world around you. The more people out there judging addicts the more it looks like it’s just a matter or poor decisions, which could cause some addicts not to get the help that could save their lives.