Addiction not a personal failure
I read an article recently about a high profile religious figure who admitted he was an alcoholic and sought treatment in a 28-day rehab. He stated, "I've known I had a drinking problem for years, but just felt that I didn't have enough will power to stop myself. I saw it as a personal failure!"
Many people, until they admit they have an addiction, make their addiction a personal battle within themselves. This struggle is lonely, full of conflicts, and is most of all a losing battle! Addiction is complicated, with many core issues, needing professional and peer support to achieve success and sustained recovery. It is not a personal failure, but a disease that requires medical attention. Many diseases have stigmas: AIDS, Cancer, STDs, etc. Addiction is a disease with social stigma. We need not play into the stigma. Instead, seek help and manage the condition with persistence and courage.
Confronting your addiction and adopting an attitude of personal responsibility is the first step in fighting this progressive and deadly disease. Admitting you are an alcoholic, drug addict, sex addict, etc. will hopefully motivate you to seek the help necessary to stop the insanity of conflicts, lies and self-destruction. Making this disease your own and plowing through the issues that help to maintain your addiction will make all the difference. This is NOT failure!
To proceed in this personal battle will only reap self-hatred, loathing and possibly death! The failure would be neglecting the avenues of help in the community for you to address this disease affecting your life and the life of your loved ones. The failure would be doing nothing to stop the progression of this disease and participate in your own death.
Therefore, addiction is not the failure. The choice not to act and remain in denial and distorted in the addiction is the failure. If you, or a loved one has an addiction and needs help, please call our 24-hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today!
Life is difficult. It is a great truth because once we truly see this, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
M. Scott Peck, M.D., The Road Less Traveled
Many people, until they admit they have an addiction, make their addiction a personal battle within themselves. This struggle is lonely, full of conflicts, and is most of all a losing battle! Addiction is complicated, with many core issues, needing professional and peer support to achieve success and sustained recovery. It is not a personal failure, but a disease that requires medical attention. Many diseases have stigmas: AIDS, Cancer, STDs, etc. Addiction is a disease with social stigma. We need not play into the stigma. Instead, seek help and manage the condition with persistence and courage.
Confronting your addiction and adopting an attitude of personal responsibility is the first step in fighting this progressive and deadly disease. Admitting you are an alcoholic, drug addict, sex addict, etc. will hopefully motivate you to seek the help necessary to stop the insanity of conflicts, lies and self-destruction. Making this disease your own and plowing through the issues that help to maintain your addiction will make all the difference. This is NOT failure!
To proceed in this personal battle will only reap self-hatred, loathing and possibly death! The failure would be neglecting the avenues of help in the community for you to address this disease affecting your life and the life of your loved ones. The failure would be doing nothing to stop the progression of this disease and participate in your own death.
Therefore, addiction is not the failure. The choice not to act and remain in denial and distorted in the addiction is the failure. If you, or a loved one has an addiction and needs help, please call our 24-hour HelpLine at (866) 478-9898 today!
Life is difficult. It is a great truth because once we truly see this, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
M. Scott Peck, M.D., The Road Less Traveled
Labels: addiction, addiction recovery, addiction rehab, alcohol treatment center
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