I am reminded daily about the misconceptions out there with regards to addiction. Firstly the preconceived ideas about what addiction is and then what the solution is for addiction. Today ill focus on some of the misconceptions about the solution. There seems to be a general belief that someone with an addiction should just pull up their socks, take responsibility and get on with their lives. This is indicative of a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the disease of addiction. It implies that at the route of the addition problem is someone who is “weak” and “undisciplined”. These misconceptions minimize and underestimated the complexity of addiction. These attitudes often create resistance to an intervention like addiction treatment which requires certain sacrifices. Unfortunately, private addiction care is not feasible for the majority of South Africans, this option requires a huge financial sacrifice and due to this, it is often not considered by those who need it. Residential treatment ranging from 21 to 28 days is also often rejected as it asked for a sacrifice of the addicts time and certain comforts. Even the free support groups available are rejected as a solution as it asks for the addict to make a sacrifice of time, as well as the perception they have of themselves. Often they believe that they are not that bad to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or Narcotics Anonymous meetings, thus their false pride needs to be sacrificed. Recovery from addiction requires letting go of people, places and things associated with your addiction which are high risk for relapse. So it is evident that recovery from the disease of addiction requires some sacrifices. And when faced with this, people with addictions start to bargain and opt for the solution with the least sacrifices. However, the road they choose is often not based on what they need to address their addiction. We often see addicts and their families regret these choices of least sacrifice when the addiction becomes worst. Unfortunately, the majority of addicts and their families make more appropriate choices when they become more desperate due to the adverse consequences of addiction. Unfortunately, sacrifice is part of the process of recovery. However, there are also gifts of recovery and further down the process, one understands that you could not receive the gifts, without the sacrifice. One’s attitude changes to sacrifice and you understand that you are receiving much more than you are sacrificing. This is one of the so many paradoxes of recovery.
I need to let go to gain. I need to surrender to win.
SHARING IS CARING
