A hooded man with outstretched arm and broke handcuffs on wrist, Overcoming Addiction concept image

Why Overcoming Addiction is so Difficult

We at Recovery Care Partners are well versed in the problems that addicts go through when they are facing the struggles of overcoming addiction. The greatest issue for an addict or alcoholic is the fear of losing their best friend, the fear of losing their comfort blanket. Many people in the grips of addiction will lie, manipulate and do anything to keep their addiction going. They will go through stages of denial and rationalization. Many of them think that they are tricking the people around them, but the only person they are lying to is themselves. The disease of addiction is so strong that they believe that the drug is the only thing that is keeping them living when in reality it is quickly destroying every area of their lives.

Addiction is one of the hardest things anyone has to go through. When someone is going through cancer and the doctor recommends chemo, are they going to go through with the treatment or just sit on the sidelines and continue to get sick? With addiction, due to the powerful grips of the drug, many people consciously or unconsciously choose to continue to stay sick. Even in the face of a better life and treatment, they believe that continuing their drug and alcohol use is the best option. What they don’t realize is that there is a much better life out there. We have talked to and treated many people that have exclaimed great joy of how much better their lives have become after dropping their drug of choice.

Why Is Addiction So Hard To Overcome

Many of our past clients have told us about their struggles and how they have overcome them. The common theme was that if they didn’t overcome their addiction they would see the fate of many addicts, jails, institution, or death.

We know the struggle first hand, so we came up with a list of some of the common problems addicts and alcoholics face in early recovery as they try to overcome their addiction.

1. Denial

Denial sure is one of the biggest factors of keeping someone from giving up their comfort blanket. Many people are so blinded and clouded by their drug use that they are unable to accept the fact that the drug is destroying every area of their lives. The first step of making a change is to accept that you are an addict or alcoholic. Until that happens you will continue living in denial that the drug is helping you, when it is actually putting your life in shambles. Many people will rationalize their use, saying that it helped their depression, when in actuality it leaves them feeling worse than when they started.

2. Giving up their best friend

This is a tough one. Many people in the grips of addiction consider their drug of choice (yes even alcohol, alcohol is a drug too) their best friend. They believe that the drug is always there with them through the toughest of times and good times, they can always rely on that certain substance to give them a certain effect. What they don’t realize is that their “best friend” eventually turns on them and becomes their greatest enemy; taking away their sanity, their ability to have interpersonal relationships, and their ability to function in every other area of life.

3. Fear of stigma

Many people do not want to be labeled as an addict or alcoholic in fear of what others will think. Even in today’s world of easily accessible information, many people in our country are still ignorant to the fact that addiction isn’t a moral decision and that in fact, it is a debilitating disease. While still not perfect, we have been making great efforts to spread the facts about addiction. September 2016 was last year’s National Recovery Month and the theme was “Join the Voices for Recovery: Visible, Vocal, Valuable.” According to Barack Obama’s proclamation released on the 10th of September 2016, this theme “encourages us all to do our part to eliminate negative public attitudes associated with substance use disorders and treatment.”

4. Seeing no other alternative to live

This is a big issue for someone currently in the midst of active addiction. They are in a state of total hopelessness and do not see a way out or a better life for themselves. What many of them need is for people to love them till they can love themselves. Luckily there are many options for someone currently struggling with addiction. They can go to Support Groups or even enroll into a Substance Abuse Treatment Center. There are many different options, no one way is the answer to everyone, a treatment plan should be tailored specifically to the addict; whether that means enrolling in an IOP or Outpatient Program or talking to a Substance Abuse Therapist!

Addiction recovery with Recovery Care Partners

Addiction is not easy; no one should have to go through it alone. If you or someone you love is struggling with overcoming addiction, there is a way out! At Recovery Care Partners, we understand the delicate nature of planning an intervention and guiding a loved one toward recovery from active addiction. We offer a free, 30-minute pre-treatment consultation to help you make an informed decision on if our support is appropriate for your circumstances. Beyond that, we offer intervention services, post-treatment support, recovery care monitoring, transition coaching, and sober companions for intensive, discreet, and professional one-on-one support.

Speak with one of our qualified professionals today at 855-727-2887, email us at [email protected], or fill out our contact form online.

Our goal is to help your loved one come to terms with their illness and learn to build stable, sustainable lives while concurrently improving the lives of those directly affected by their disease.