There are many steps that one must take in the journey to addiction recovery. Due to the personal nature of recovery, it is hard to say, with confidence, which part of the process is hardest for the recovering addict. However, for many people, even taking the first step in the process by actively getting help can be an exceptionally difficult thing. Either out of fear or anger, there are many lengths that an addict will go to in order to avoid having to go through treatment. Here are some of the mental justifications that can keep a person who needs treatment from seeking it…
Many Addicts Believe They Can Quit on Their Own
One of the biggest misunderstandings that people have about addiction is that an addict can simply stop using the drug whenever they feel like it. While there are unique cases where this has happened, the nature of addiction is that it is outside of the mental control of the person who suffers from it. By lying to oneself and saying that addiction can be forsaken at any time, an addict keeps up an illusion of control.
However, the evidence all points to the contrary. When addiction begins to tear a life apart, and an addict can’t bring themselves to get help, it goes to show that they don’t really have the control over their life that they thought they did.
Drugs Really Do Feel “Good”
This seems to be a big part of the equation that many people forget when it comes to trying to get addicts to seek treatment. There is a reason that so many people get hooked on an illicit substance in the first place, and that is that it makes you feel really, really good. Many people try to gloss over or sugarcoat this fact, but doing so is dangerous for those who suffer. Many of these drugs really will make you feel a strong feeling of euphoria.
For example, heroin has the power to make you feel greater than you thought you could imagine. The mental effect that it has on your brain is similar to the one that arises when you are having sex. However, this pleasure is an unstable lie. It’s important to understand this powerful feeling when trying to get an addict into treatment, or else you will be able to really emphasize with the addictive struggle that they are facing.
