Myth- One of the worst habits is known as Addiction that results in weakness and overindulgence.
Fact- Addiction of any form can be chronic or a life-threatening condition like as it has roots in genetic susceptibility, social circumstance and personal behavior.
Myth- Addiction comes from lack of willpower, if a person has enough determination, he/she can stop abusing alcohol and other drugs. After all no one can force someone to use a substance.
Fact- Addicted people cannot simply put a stop on their consumption of a substance no matter how strong they are from their inner resolve as it directly affects our brain nerves due to which cravings cannot be controlled after some point. Mostly every addicted person needs one or more courses of structured treatment to reduce or end their dependency.
Myth- Treatment for addiction does not work because the end result would be a relapse and a person starting with abuse once again in life.
Fact- Addiction treatment cannot be guaranteed lifelong. Relapse is a part of treatment but the difference in relapse would be that a person knows the direction for his/her treatment which is always treatable.
Major challenge with an addictive person is trust, as people around him/her would try to stop them from abusing a particular substance due to which they will come in their hate list; that will further lead to suspiciousness and hatred towards them. With all this the person will fall under isolation and it would be very difficult to bring him for treatment.
Some of the key challenges are: developing new coping strategies, facing trauma and shame without alcohol or drug, building new relationships and rearing the old, overcoming boredom, overcoming relapse, and finding meaning or purpose in life.
One can find out if they need counseling or therapy by checking the following points:
You are physically dependent on substance or drug, You are misusing substance or taking it regularly and not able to get rid of it You want to bring a change, but you’re unable to do so on your own, you might want to seek counseling.
You’re experiencing disturbances which impact your day-to-day life like work, social engagement etc.
You’re experiencing disturbances which impact your overall wellbeing.
You’re experiencing emotions on the extremes. For example, you’re either too happy or too angry.
You have a difficult time in understanding your emotions or in making sense of what is going on around you.
Feeling disconnected from yourself and your loved ones. Role of counseling & Therapy in overcoming Addiction.
Therapists who specialize in de addiction and rehabilitation can help you immensely in recovering from addiction. These professionals are skilled in addressing these issues. They can help you in getting rid of the addiction through emotional exploration, cognitive restructuring, and problem solving using various techniques. The client can work along with the therapist to set short term and long term goals to deal with addiction.