Recovery from substance dependency is hard. The first step to recovery is often touted as the hardest part of recovery. Since an addict is often treated as an outcast, coming out and accepting your addiction proves to be daunting. Addiction is powerful and it dominates the personality of an individual who abuses any addictive substance.
Therefore, people shy away from confronting their addiction and it persists. To take the first step, the person needs to change their position. They have to leave their old position of being an addict and move towards sobriety. Now, why does this change of position prove to be extremely difficult? Let us try to find out.
Fear of the Unknown
The state of addiction is a position where the addict finds themselves comfortable. However, leaving addiction requires the person to move to another space, which is unknown. This creates anxiety, which propels the person into further addiction.
The addict will be confronted with thoughts such as: where will I go? How will life look after I move away from my addiction? It also leads to this feeling of rejection. Admitting to yourself and others gives this fear of rejection.
Whenever people hear the word addiction, they tend to form opinions about the person. The addiction can be anything – pornography, sex, drugs or alcohol. People are often disgusted by addicts and tend to ostracise them from society.
But, shame is not the only aspect of it. It is just one of many forming the fulcrum of rejection. It is also the fear that the person might be abandoned. Rejection actually points towards abandonment. The person fears that their loved ones might also feel disgusted by their behaviour and reject you.
Addiction is one of those times when the love and support of the people around you means a lot. It is one of the factors which determine how your recovery process will take hold. Nevertheless, the person might feel that disclosing the truth might distance their loved ones from them.
Addiction is not a moral failure
Being an addict does not mean that your morality is tarnished or that you are an amoral person. Most people are not aware of the reality of addiction. It is not treated as a disorder but a moral failure. But, it is simply not true.
You can learn more, by getting in touch with our experts at Taylor Recovery!