People think once a person has been clean (drug and alcohol free) for a certain time that they are fixed, cured etc.. Sorry but that’s not the case. It can take years of abuse in most cases to get our bodies as well as our minds hooked on our drug of choice. If a person started younger, still in their teens, the damage done in a short time can be just as bead as the damage done long term from a late starter. So it can take a few years for a person to clean up their mess they made as well as face their fears.
There is no better substance to be hooked on, I hear people say that at least it was only booze. Its all bad,they all will make you do things that you never would have done. Granted some things are worse then others.
If one of your loved ones is suffering from active addiction the only thing you can do is practice tough love. It sucks, but that is the only way to really help an addict. Even once they come out of detox they are not cured, the tough love needs to be continued at least until the person proves over time that they want to stay clean.
I say want, and I mean it. For a person to stay clean they have to want it. An addict can come up with a million reasons why they should use and zero why they should not.
Healing the body in most cases is the easy part. It’s the mind that takes time.
Imagine losing your best friend, the person you hung out with 24/7. That is what an addict feels like when they stop using, they are lost without their best friend.
It takes time to learn who we really are, because during the years we used we all put out some type of persona of the person we thought we where.
Now our minds are clear of the drugs or booze and we have to face ourselves. Nothing worse for an addict then having to be honest with themselves.
Fear is the biggest driver of humans. Everything we do is fear based. Fear of being told no, fear of losing our homes, fear of losing …. Its all fear based. Now toss in an addict who is trying to get or stay clean, who has to be brutally honest with themselves.
Fear can’t keep a person sober, an addict needs to face their fears more so then a “normal” person. Since an addict uses his or her fears in order to justify using.
So when you are dealing with addiction keep in mind it’s a slow process to heal. The great news is you or your loved one can heal and lead a normal life. The addict can not pick up again however if he or she uses the addiction in their favor their life can be pretty cool 