Breaking the Shame of Addiction

If you have recently come to terms with the fact that you have an addiction, you’re not alone. Millions of people around the world struggle with dependency on drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, or even food, and it’s important to know that there is help available. While it can be difficult to face a crippling dependency head on, there are steps you can take to start the recovery process.

The first step is admitting that you have a problem and need help. This often includes talking to a healthcare professional or enrolling in an addiction recovery program. Your doctor or therapist can screen you for mental health conditions that may be contributing to your addiction and come up with a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs. This plan might include medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes.

It’s also important to surround yourself with supportive people who understand your struggles and can provide positive guidance. These people can be family, friends, clergy, or even people from recovery support groups. People who are in recovery for addictions themselves can provide a powerful source of support and understanding. Spending time with supportive people and talking to them about your feelings can help you keep your recovery on track and provide an outlet for difficult emotions.

In addition to finding supportive people, it’s important to focus on self-care. Spend time on activities like yoga, exercise, art, or nature walks that make you feel good and provide an emotional outlet. Participating in activities that bring a sense of joy and peace can help to combat the cravings and withdrawal symptoms of addiction.

Finally, make sure that you have realistic goals for your recovery. It’s important to understand that recovery is a process and that it will take time to make changes and restore your health. Take small steps each day to stay on track with your recovery plan and stay motivated.

Recovering from an addiction is a difficult journey, but with the help of supportive people and an effective treatment plan, you can start to reclaim and rebuild your life. So, if you have recently realized that you have an addiction, remember that you are not alone and that help is available. Seek out the support you need and take steps towards a healthier future.

Addiction is a tough subject to discuss. Addiction is a complex mental disorder that can have a profound effect on people’s lives. It can lead to damaging consequences for both the person with the addiction and their family and friends. One of the most common feelings associated with addiction is shame. Shame is the feeling of being deeply embarrassed or humiliated by one’s own behavior, or that can be caused by external forces. This feeling of shame can often be a powerful driving force behind an addiction.

Shame is a naturalistic emotion that can be the result of various events, such as mistakes or bad choices. It can also be caused by the expectation of others. In the case of addiction, shame is often an internal emotion that the individual feels, believing that their addiction is proof of their own moral failing. This sense of shame can be magnified by external forces, such as judgement from family or society. This can lead to a dangerous cycle of self-loathing and destructive behavior that can make it hard for the individual to break out of the spiral of addiction.

The reality is that shame can be a powerful and destructive emotion. It can create feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and a sense of inferiority. This can lead to an individual feeling that they are somehow not worthy of love and a sense of belonging, and that no matter what they do, they cannot escape the chains of addiction. In addition to this, shame can be a powerful negative force that prevents an individual from seeking out help or admitting that they need it in the first place. Fear of judgement can be powerful and can lead an individual to isolate themselves rather than seeking out help.

The truth is that addiction is not a sign of weakness, but rather an indication that something is not working in the individual’s life. There are a wide range of issues that could be at the root of an addiction, and seeking professional help is the best way to find out what those issues are and how to address them. Nothing makes the individual feel more valued and accepted than receiving help from someone they trust.

When trying to overcome an addiction, it is important to be kind to oneself. Rather than focusing on shame and what they have done wrong, it is more important to focus on the positive steps they can take to improve their life. It is also important to cultivate a sense of self-compassion and to remember that everyone makes mistakes in life.

Finally, it is important to remember that addiction is a complex disorder and can be difficult to overcome on one’s own. Seeking out professional help is the best way to ensure that an individual is well-equipped to address their addictions and to make positive changes in their life. Addiction is a difficult journey, but it is possible to get through it with the right support and resources.

There is no doubt that having addiction makes it difficult for individuals to take stock of their lives. Those with addiction can be met with social disgrace and no easy way to get back on their feet. While shame may seem like a productive way to help someone with addiction, the reality is that it is more likely to contribute to the problem than solve it. Learning how to not shame in addiction is key in having a positive impact on those living with addiction.

What is Shame?

Shame is the feeling of humiliation, worthlessness, or guilt. It can be triggered by a sense that you have failed to live up to the expectations of yourself, another individual or a group. In situations related to addiction, shame can be used to punish someone for their behavior and can lead to increased levels of feeling vulnerable or helpless.

The Impact of Shame on Those With Addiction

When someone with addiction is shamed, it can have a profoundly negative effect on the individual. Those who are shamed tend to feel more powerless and deeply embarrassed, which can result in them feeling worse about their addiction. Shame also causes individuals to withdraw or avoid activities that would otherwise help with their recovery.

Shaming someone is also likely to decrease any desire to talk about their struggles and will cause them to be less likely to seek help. Ultimately shame causes those with addiction to internalize and suffer in silence, rather than to seek out the guidance and support they need to overcome their addiction.

Introducing Compassionate Approaches

While shame may feel like the proper enablement tactic, it is important to remind ourselves that compassion and understanding is what truly makes a difference. Compassion and understanding for those with addiction can help to create a safe and secure atmosphere where individuals feel comfortable providing recognition of their struggles and asking for help.

In order to foster these qualities, individuals should strive to be understanding. This means being mindful of the individual’s feelings and trying to listen and empathize, even if you don’t agree with the person’s decision. Individuals should also strive to be non-judgmental. This means being supportive and understanding, while also challenging the person in a compassionate way.

Lastly, individuals can foster these qualities by not acting in a way that casts blame. Blame reinforces feelings of shame and inadequacy. Instead, individuals should focus on building trust and forming a supportive connection.

The Takeaway

Shame has a profound effect on those with addiction, with the potential to worsen their addiction and further discourage them from seeking help. However, while shame may seem inevitable, it is important to remember that there are more compassionate and effective approaches to helping individuals with addiction. Try to remember to be understanding, listen, empathize, and offer support instead of blaming. It is through this approach that those with addiction can be encouraged to seek help and move towards a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle..

For every individual who recovers from addiction, there is a chance of relapse. But it varies from person to person. One of the reasons why the foothold of relapse is so intense is because addiction itself is a chronic disease that is difficult to manage and treat.  

If you relapse after addiction recovery, it doesn’t mean the whole treatment process was a failure. It only implies that some important things were left out, and you might have to now implement them.

Here are some tips to prevent relapse after addiction treatment

• Don’t skip your addiction treatment program

When some people in addiction treatment feel they are getting better, they stop going for treatment. It doesn’t take a long time before they relapse. People who drop out of their addiction treatment program are likely to shortchange their recovery.

It is important to observe every phase of the addiction treatment program to reduce the chances of a relapse.

• Stick to your aftercare plan

When your time in the addiction treatment program is about to end, the therapist and counselor would help you develop an aftercare plan. If you don’t stick to your aftercare plan, there is a chance of relapse along the line.

It’s challenging to be consistent with an aftercare plan, but once you remember that you need it to stay sober, you can follow through with it.

• Build a solid support system

During addiction recovery and post-addiction recovery, you need a support system to rely on. You need people to constantly motivate you that you can do better and remain sober.

It is hard to resist the temptations that come with relapsing. But, with a profound support system, you will receive much encouragement and you will be accountable to them.

• Pick up new hobbies and drop the old ones

In recovery, you must have been told how to identify the hobbies or activities that can trigger your addiction. It would be risky to go back to them after your addiction. Therefore, you need to replace these hobbies with new and healthy ones.

For instance, one of your hobbies could be going regularly to the gym. Bear in mind that it serves as a hobby and a healthy activity.

Addiction recovery is one of the most challenging phases that an addict goes through. It is not easy quitting an old lifestyle habit and picking up a new one. The addict would go through several series of unlearning before they start picking up new habits.  

Generally, addiction recovery ends when the individual is sober. But in reality, it continues with the aftercare treatment phase. People who miss aftercare treatment are more likely to relapse than those who go for it.

Here are four reasons why relapse happens even after sobriety

• Hanging out with friends who trigger addiction

Addicts are usually taught in addiction recovery to identify people who can trigger their addiction and stay away from them.

For instance, someone who recovers from alcohol addiction does not need to be with friends who still abuse alcohol, because it can trigger their addiction.

• Unhealthy lifestyle habits

While recovering from addiction, addicts are always advised to pick up healthy habits like eating a nutritious meal, exercising, having enough rest, etc. However, if the individual falters by not heeding some of these healthy instructions, they can relapse.

Some unhealthy habits can cause stress, which in turn, triggers addiction and makes the individual relapse.

• Skipping the aftercare treatment phase

As mentioned above, those who do not go for aftercare treatment, are likely to relapse than those who attend it. The aftercare treatment is a period where recovering individuals learn different coping strategies that helps them manage triggers.

Anyone who skips this phase would most likely not know about these coping strategies, and they could relapse in the not-so-distant future.

• Stress

Someone who doesn’t know how to manage stress is likely to relapse even after they have recovered. Many people are unaware that stress is one of the primary triggers of relapse. Therefore, it is important to identify factors that cause stress and avoid them.

Both in addiction and after addiction recovery, individuals need to be fully aware of themselves. Also, it is advised to know the triggers likely to induce relapse and manage them.  

Addiction recovery does not imply the end of addiction, there is a tendency for the individual to relapse. This is why the presence of an aftercare program is needed.

The best trend of activities is for an aftercare program to take place immediately after a rehab program. The reason for this is, it is a sensitive period where anything is likely to occur.  

An aftercare program involves the recovering individual with the counselor and the therapist. During this period, the individual is expected to show hard work, tenaciousness and self-sufficiency in making sure that he or she attains full sobriety.

One way to encourage patients in this case is to provide incentives in order to encourage them. With these incentives in place, it would be easier for the individual to fight the cravings that come with addiction. This in turn ensures the health and safety of the individual.

When there is no aftercare program in place, there is a possibility that an individual will relapse. This usually happens when the individual is left to oneself. During this phase, he or she begins to process thoughts of going back to their addiction.

This is why group therapy sessions are usually encouraged because it pays off if the individual sees others like him or her who are fighting off addiction.

As a matter of fact, the environment of an individual can impact the thoughts of that individual. They might get back to their environment after rehab and feel tempted to return to their addictive lifestyle.

However, with an aftercare program in place, it becomes easier to develop coping skills that would help them face addiction when the temptation surfaces.

Aftercare in addiction recovery is an essential aspect of a profound recovery program. With an aftercare program, the individual is more confident at living a sober and healthy life.

He or she would be able to live his or her life without the fear of being addicted anymore. This is one integral program that rehabs need to incorporate into their addiction program.

Living a sober life is difficult particularly after defeating addiction. However, the wonderful part to this is, it is very attainable.

At the initial stage you would have to fight off withdrawal symptoms and conquer the cravings that fuel your addiction. So, going back to the normal world and living your regular lifestyle might be tough for you.

However, to help yourself you need to put some health measures in place. Now, you need to know that health measures does not apply to physical health alone. It involves mental, emotional and other aspects of your health.

To start with, you need to ensure that you take things gradually. There is always this tendency for people who are recovering to want to take the bull by the horn.

However, it always does not end well. It is best to take each giant stride, one step at a time. This might be hard for you to attain, but with time, you will discover that it is inspiring and refreshing for you.

Next, it is vital for you to fix the damage you must have caused during the process of addiction. This particularly applies to strained relationships you must have had with family and friends.

So, all you need do is sit them down and discuss with them, you need to know your offences and seek ways on how you can appease them.

When you do this, you are certain of having a better relationship with your family and friends than the way it was before.

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So, at this stage, you might want to stay off some sets of people who would most likely cause your addiction problem to return. This means that you would not attend certain events and occasions that can induce your addiction.

Hence, it would be perfect for you to surround yourself with individuals whose sobriety has been proven. To prevent yourself from relapsing, this is what you need, people who would help you get better.

Putting all these measures in place, you are assured of a better life.

Addicts know within them that they are addicted, but you would barely find any of them owning up to their addiction. Rather, they would prefer to struggle within them to see if they can do away with it.

Most of the times, they end up succeeding only in the short term. Within few days, they are back to their addiction because they find it uneasy to keep up with the withdrawal symptoms.

People who are addicted see their addiction as a top priority. So, they would prefer to put other tasks before it. Their addiction comes first because it is what gives them utmost satisfaction.

Hence, some tasks that an addict would typically handle, would be abandoned. They would miss work without any reasonable excuse.

Also, they would not have the sufficient energy and mental strength to perform their normal duties. This would result in a decline in productivity.

Someone who is addicted would also have mood swings. They could be happy this moment and be sad the next.

So, you need to watch out for this. If this occurs more than usual, then there is a good chance that the person is struggling with any form of addiction.

An individual who is addicted would not accept that they are addicted. They are not comfortable with people knowing so they would hide this reality.

In addition to this, addicted individuals find it hard to keep good relationships. If they have a romantic partner, they would have frequent conflicts.

Also, communication would be on a low ebb because the addicted individual would spend more time fueling his or her own addiction rather than being with their partner.

That’s not all; they will also keep secrets from them. This is one of the major reasons why addicted individuals find it hard to keep relationships.

As a matter of fact, relationship with friends and family would also be strained.

If you have noticed any of the above-mentioned signs in a person, it is advisable to encourage them with love and not criticize them. This would motivate them to seek addiction recovery.

Addiction does not just affect an individual alone, it affects those around them. The first set of people who are affected by the addiction of an individual are family and friends.

This is followed by co-workers, neighbors, long-distance friends and the list goes on.

There are some families that have been totally torn apart because of addiction. Also, some people are no longer best friends because of addiction.

One of the major reasons for this is, addiction changes a person, and the individual usually expects everyone to understand him or her.

Worse still, it is difficult to see any individual that would open up about their addiction. This is done because of prejudice. Hence, this is one of the reasons why people find it hard to open up to a counselor.

To repair a relationship after addiction, the first step is to communicate. You need to inform those people you have lost connection with that, you want to discuss with them.

You also need to let them know that you are putting your life together after addiction, and you want to repair your relationship.

Not everyone would accept this as an act of good faith, so you need to be ready for some disappointment. However, you will need to go the extra mile to make this happen.

If the person is responsible for your addiction, the best you can do is to mend fences over the phone or a chat, and maintain the long-distance friendship if possible.

Also, you need to be honest and ask for forgiveness. You need to state it clearly that you have made mistakes, and you are now aware of them.

So even though people are finding it difficult to come around, you will know that you have done your part.

In addition to this, you also need to go for support meetings. These meetings are often targeted at helping you connect with other people who are equally going through the same phase of reconnection.

After addiction recovery, it is not fully over yet. If an individual is not careful, there is a likely chance of a relapse.

Basically, a relapse is a condition whereby a person who recovered from addiction, is back to their old lifestyle.

There are some feelings known as triggers, and they make a person crave an addictive lifestyle that they have abstained from.

Triggers can come in various forms. Triggers could be your childhood friend who you are used to hanging out with.

Then, avoiding triggers would mean that your friendship is about to hit the rocks because you want to avoid addiction. A good number of times, avoiding an addiction means saying goodbye to some people.

This does not mean you will not communicate with them, but it would be done on a long-term basis. Before triggers can be identified, you need to know them, and this is why a counselor’s place comes in handy.

You will definitely be reminded of the experiences that make you feel good, and you will want to explore them again.

To perfectly substitute this, you need to seek an activity that will provide a replica of the experience you used to feel. However, you have to ensure they are devoid of features that will activate these triggers.

You can also discuss with a counselor to help you check these activities, and recommend the ones that would be beneficial to you.

Another trigger you need to work on avoiding, is the places that put your addiction in motion.

People who have recovered from either drug or alcohol addiction would need to avoid places where they are sold.

So, it would mean driving past such places and not making attempts to enter, even if it is just to greet an old friend.

Avoiding triggers seem impossible, but you need to arm yourself with the skills suited for this purpose.

So, asides taking part in other activities, you can talk about it with a counselor. You can also put measures in place that will help you change your thoughts.