Addiction, When it's fixable…
What happens when you make a choice in a single moment? The stigma of addiction can surround a person and hold them down like a weight around their feet. How do we change this? Why is it not ok to not be ok? But it is ok to be ok, and this is why addiction is looked at so negatively that we are unable to move forward. As you go through life you don’t see people who openly struggle with addiction everywhere, ok so there are times when you're out you might be able to spot them here and there. But a lot more people struggle with addiction than you might think, and addiction doesn’t mean just alcohol and drugs.
What is addiction? Merriam Webster states the following: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted. Then we have to look at things and see what falls into this category. If you have to get up and go to the gym every morning before work or you don't go to work then people would say you have an addiction to going to the gym. This is something that in any other form would be overall good for you, the gym promotes many healthy aspects. It is a form of self-care, it promotes a healthy lifestyle, it can promote good self-esteem, and so forth. Yet when you have it, it causes a negative impact on your life, which is when it becomes an addiction. So, by not going to work, if you don’t go to the gym first, it impacts many areas of your life, such as finances, housing, etc. So, when and how can you work with addiction? What is the best path to choose when looking for help? Addiction is not something that is easy to fix, there is no Band-Aid to cover it up. Addiction recovery is a lifelong change and commitment.
When looking for the right path to recovery, it is key to understand what addiction is and how to navigate all the corners that become present in this journey. It is ok for you to go somewhere for help and determine if it is a good “fit”. This means everyone knows how they want to be treated, even if they don’t know how treatment is going to go. Maybe the person's style or approach to your treatment isn’t what you think you need. Look for a person who can help you with that commitment to change. A good way to think of things when looking for assistance is like you would not buy a car without looking at it, driving it, or even reviewing it. So, why would you seek treatment without a test run? Only you know what works best for you, so take the time to review, go to an appointment, and if it doesn't look like it will work, then shop around. Treatment is not a one size fits all thing, it is to find someone who works with you as well as pushes you to do better. In my point of view, you need to be comfortable and yet uncomfortable at the same time. Don’t let the stigma of addiction ever hold you back from a better life.