These are some of the common thoughts when someone close to you is into addiction. You aren’t able to understand why is he continuing to take the dangerous path. Why is he always making bad choices and why is he giving so much pain to the family members?
You might get angry to see that the addict doesn’t care about anything. You will blame him for being so weak. But this is not the truth, the truth is that he is sick of his addiction. All the guilt, blame, anger, and fights won’t change anything. He simply needs professional help.
You will expect him to ask for help, you believe that if you keep pointing out his mistakes, his failures, and lay on his guilt, he will snap out of it one day and come to his senses but unfortunately for many addicts, it takes a turn before they will reach out for help on their own.
Addiction is a brain disease and it hijacks the brain of the addict. This is why they act differently and due to the changes in the brain caused by drugs and alcohol, the brain believes that consuming drugs is necessary for survival. This is why the addict continues to take drugs even while facing devastating consequences.
For positive changes to take place, the family needs to understand addiction first. The first step to helping your loved one is gaining enough knowledge about the disease. It is difficult to help another person if you don’t understand the problem. By learning as much about addiction as possible, families can help their loved ones to recover.
Myth 1) Addicts are bad and immortal.
The truth – research claims that addicts have a brain disease. The person suffering from addiction will often do things that society considers bad to feed the addiction.
Myth 2) The addict lacks willpower
The truth – this is an old belief. Addiction affects the area of the brain called the dopamine system which is not under conscious control.
Myth 3) Addicts should be punished.
The truth – the brain disease of addiction causes impaired control over the addicts’ use of drugs, and addicts need proper treatment.
Myth 4) Addicts cannot be treated with medication.
The truth – new medicines are being developed to help patients curb their cravings. These medications reduce the chances of relapse.
Myth 5) Addicts need to hit rock bottom to get into treatment.
The truth – is addiction is treatable, it must be faced head-on. You might not have the power to take the addiction away from your loved one, but you have the power to give him a push toward getting help. You can get knowledge on addiction, talk to doctors, and find a good treatment program for your loved one.
Don’t forget the importance of building your spiritual and mental strength. There are many support systems available to help you along the way. You don’t have to face this alone, help is out there if you are willing to accept everything.
if you or someone you know is going through any kind of addiction, help them to get into proper treatment. you can get the best treatment for all addictions at our rehabilitation centre in New Delhi.