Drug Abuse Alcohol Abuse
Through my own personal experiences, reading, studying, living and talking with others, I have found that we are more than helpless individuals being attacked by an imaginary disease of addiction. Realizing our own potential and inner gifts/strengths from God, we can use our strengths to overcome one of the most baffling (to me) difficulties of our time - addiction. The type of addiction can come in many forms (heroin addiction, alcohol addiction, cocaine addiction, crack cocaine addiction, marijuana addiction, etc). But no matter what the form, we are never left without a solution. Some may believe that current drug treatment and alcohol treatment is sufficient for drug addiction recovery or alcoholism recovery, I disagree. Any chemical addiction study will only give you about a 10% to 30% chance of succeeding. Even alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous can’t reach the majority of those who come through their doors. This needs to be changed. We are dealing with people’s lives and if the majority who enter a drug rehab or alcohol rehab are not getting helped, then we need to review our drug treatment or alcohol treatment approach for drug abuse and alcohol abuse. alcoholism, chemical dependency, and substance abuse are not unstoppable and insidious diseases. More than 75% have already recovered, on their own and without traditional substance abuse treatment. Let’s listen to those who have not given up on the resiliency and strength of the individual to change.
alternative
1) Get out of your head!
- You have decided to quit using alcohol or drugs after much mental debate. A day or two goes by and you start to feel better physically. You are very proud of yourself. Something happens at work that is stressful and what happens. Your head starts looking for a way to cope with the stress. The alcohol or drug debate begins again. You start rationalizing and justifying how it may not be so bad for one more drink or hit. STOP right there! You are and will achieve what you think! Get out of your head and focus on something else. It’s your negative thinking that got you into the drug and alcohol mess to begin with. But how do you do this?
2) Be selfless not selfish!
- A major reason to want to use alcohol or drugs is selfishness. The poor me syndrome. The whole world starts to revolve around you and no one has as bad as problems as you do. Well none of these problems will be remedied by using alcohol or drugs. You wont pay your bills or patch up the situation with your spouse or at work by using. You wont even find that moment of happiness you are so desperately seeking by using alcohol and drugs. Instead of going up into your head and feeling miserable about yourself or situation, help someone! Get out of your head and into someone else’s world. Kindness to others is the key here, for it does not allow you to have a pity party in your head. The greatest cure and joy in the world to combat misery and selfishness is to help someone else. Talk to someone who seems down. Volunteer at a hospital or detox center. Do anything to get out of your head and not think about yourself. It works!
3) Do something!
- Nothing will change if you sit on the couch feeling sorry for yourself. You need motion and action. All the planning and goals mean little if you don’t put some action behind them. Do something! Get a hobby, volunteer your time, go running, read a book. Whatever will help put you in motion. The concept of fear is important here for most who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction have let fear immobilize them. Remember this: fear lessons and becomes irrelevant when we are actively working toward a goal. Do something toward a goal you have.
4) Choose a goal!
- A goal is something you want to achieve that does not hurt yourself or others. It’s what you want to focus your life towards. Those who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction often lose sight of what their goals are. Find one! What do you enjoy doing? Even if it is a small goal, find one. Finding a goal and working towards it eliminates the power of alcohol or drugs in your life. Your life becomes about who you want to be not who you were.
5) Establish meaning in your life!
- If you are spiritual or religious, PRAY. Re-connect with life and that quiet but persistent voice inside you. Your emotions will tell you when your focus is wrong. Emotions are the nerves to the soul. Listen to them, and if you are having negative emotions look at where your focus is right now. Readjust it! When you were drinking or using drugs your focus was only on yourself. You weren’t happy. You can be! Who do you want to be, what do you want to value, and who do you want to care about? Focus is individual for everyone, but you know it is there. You feel it. You are not ignorant, weak, or stupid. You have just never pushed through your fear of life by getting out of your head, thinking of others first, and putting action behind your goals. You do these simple things and you have just obtained your new focus!
Alcoholism, Drug Abuse & Alcohol Abuse Treatment Alternatives
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Copyright © 2003 Tim Welch. All Rights Reserved