Ashamed of Addiction? Here’s 5 Things to Remember

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Being ashamed of addiction is pretty common especially in our country. The combination of our culture and the stigma associated with addiction makes people and their families hesitant to face the problem and therefore seek treatment.

You or your family may feel ashamed about addiction, primarily because of the stigma surrounding it. You may feel ashamed of addiction because of how people will react and view you and your family. Because of this shame or embarrassment, however, you may just have swept the problem under the rug and avoided seeking treatment. This, however, can make matters worse. 

ashamed-of-addiction

Here are 5 things you should remember about addiction to make you understand that there’s really nothing to be ashamed of addiction.

5 Reasons Not to be Ashamed of Addiction

1. Addiction is a disease. Stigma is rampant in our country. Many people falsely believe that addiction is a moral failing, a character flaw, or that people become addicted because they chose it and they’re weak. However, this is so far from the truth. Addiction is a chronic disease that profoundly alters the brain’s reward center, making addiction a compulsive and destructive cycle that takes a person on a downward spiral in life.

2. Many factors are at play when it comes to addiction. You don’t choose to be an addict. You don’t wake up one day to become addicted to drugs, alcohol, or certain behaviors. Factors such as environment, physiology, genetics, and upbringing all play a role whether or not a person has an increased risk for developing an addiction.

3. Millions of people around the world have it too. Many people suffer from different kinds of addiction, and some may just carry it well as high-functioning addicts. However, that doesn’t mean they can carry on with their compulsions for so long, as addiction will always end up badly if left untreated.

4. Addiction can come to anyone. Anyone can develop an addiction, regardless of education, social standing, job, income, gender, age, culture, or race–addiction can come to all walks of life.

5. Addiction can be treated. You can’t expect addiction to just go away on its own. Also, you may have tried to self-medicate or treat your addiction on your own by cutting down or keeping yourself sober. However, you may realize now that addiction can’t be easily overcome on your own. While there are indeed people who are able to do so on their own, most still need the help of peers as well as qualified, experienced people around them. This is why there are many drug and alcohol rehab centers offering different kinds of treatment programs to help you overcome your addiction and the underlying issues that go with it.

At Bridges of Hope, we provide Eclectic Therapeutic Community to treat drug and alcohol addictions. We make sure to understand your background, needs, personality, and health in order to come up with a tailor-made treatment plan for you.

For inquiries, call or text us at Bridges of Hope: 09175098826.

 

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