Low Self Esteem as a Cause of Addiction

For a lot of people, having low self-esteem can cause problems ranging from insecurities, anti-social behavior, and in worse cases, substance addiction.  Many would turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to escape their increasingly problematic personal life instead of dealing with the issues head on.  The satisfaction they get from using drugs or drinking alcohol is perceived to be a much better alternative than being with other people and feeling less than a genuine part of the society or group of people.

High Risk of Relapse

Even when addicts get through detox and rehab successfully, they are still at a high risk of relapsing or “falling off the wagon” so they need a much stronger support system in order to keep their addictions at bay.  Any number of factors can trigger a relapse such as failed relationships, getting fired from a job, not getting a much needed loan, and many others.

What recovering addicts need is more than just encouraging words from family and friends.  They need to find an avenue where they can express themselves and use their skills in a manner that makes them feel good about themselves.  Genuine sense of accomplishment is one of the things dependents need among others as it gives them hope and the feeling of being a contributing part of the society.

Learning New Skills and Honing Old Ones

Being able to accomplish something tangible on a daily basis helps a great deal in boosting one’s self esteem which makes recovery from addiction a little bit bearable.  Family and friends of recovering addicts/alcoholics should be the one to encourage them to go participate in activities that would enrich their lives.

Joining workshop programs or short courses will definitely help in obtaining new skills which can lead to several other productive opportunities.  Not only will this help in keeping their mind away from substance consumption but it will also allow them to have experiences outside the context of addiction recovery

Developing a Better Self Image

There are a number of programs that can help recovering addicts to achieve a better self image.  These programs are created using modern psychological techniques that can uncover hidden insecurities and attack them head on while lessening the trauma that comes with it.

Lowering the risk of relapse would require addressing deep seated issues that cause self deprecating tendencies.  The idea is to help dependents realize that they just as important and valuable as the next guy and that their lives are just as worth living.

Addiction can take on many forms, often involving the consumption of harmful substances such as street drugs, class-A narcotics, and alcohol.  For the most part, it is just like disease that eats away at the very core of a person and leaves him/her ruined and incapacitated as an individual.  While recovery from addiction is very much possible, it can be very difficult in some cases especially those that involve dependents wit very low self esteem and poor self image.

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A legal marijuana coffee shop in Amsterdam, Netherlands

The legalization of drugs has become an interesting debate for many people today whether they are left or right wingers. When the dutch decriminalized marijuana some people were skeptical and that it would instead create a problem that resulted that every body will be lazy and unmotivated. That wasn’t quite true. Data now shows that the the dutch have very similar rates of use between other European nations. Cannabis is technically still illegal, but the courts won’t prosecute small amounts.

Many other European countries such as Norway and Portugal have decriminalized using drugs and instead have implemented a mandate to go to rehab for addiction recovery instead of going to jail. Portugal has legalized all drugs since 2000. Now, their capital Libson, which had 5000 users a day lining up to buy Heroin in abandoned buildings, has been completely transformed due to the new policy of treating drug users as sick people instead of criminals. People are getting the help they need instead of sleeping in abandoned buildings and using dirty needles. There are less people in jail and on the street. The neighborhood has been bulldozed and has completely transformed, in only 10 years!

The United states spends about 1 trillion dollars a year on the “war on drugs” as more people die from drug related violence, and as our privately owned jails get filled up beyond capacity. Therefore, there is something the United States can learn from the Portuguese.

A child puts himself into a ball to avoid abuse from the mother

When you’re a mother and relapsing it may be detrimental to your children because you are focusing more on the drugs or alcohol than the family. A study published in science daily suggests that the active mother of a family of mice reacts totally differently when her pups are present. The study concludes that their may be a relationship between maternal drug users and how the family could develop problems in future generations.

1) Start a Recovery Journal

You can think of recovery from addiction in the same way that you would think of a weight lifting program. Both of these things will require a lot of effort on your part. If you ever take this for granted, you are bound to slip up. However, if you keep a journal your recovery will never be too far from your mind.

2) Connect With Other People Who Are Also In Recovery

There are a lot of ways in which you can connect with other people who are also in recovery from addiction. A great place to start is a twelve step meeting in your area. If you are hesitant to attend a meeting, you can look online for support groups at first. In either case you can find support groups to go to while being able to maintain your confidentiality, in case that is a concern of yours.

3) Find Someone Whom You Can Talk To

Whenever you are undergoing recovery from addiction, it is important to find someone whom you can talk to. This doesn’t have to be someone whom you will feel embarrassed by, it simply needs to be someone who can be there to talk to you while you are undergoing recovery from addiction.

4) Replace Your Addiction With A Talent

As you undergo recovery from addiction you should not spend a lot of time alone. This will only make it more difficult for you. You can start going to the gym, or learning a hobby that you have always wanted to learn. Check online for clubs or groups of people that share a similar interest with you. There are many others things that you can do in order to fill your free time so that you won’t feel as bad as you undergo recovery from addiction so never give up on yourself.

5) Educate Yourself On Recovery Techniques

While educating yourself about techniques to use for recovery from addiction may be last on this list, it is still really important. Remember, you cannot afford to take your recovery from addiction lightly or you will get caught off guard. In order to keep this from happening, you will need to educate yourself about your addiction and always remain teachable. The best way in which to do this is with the help of a twelve step group and/or a professional. More specific techniques will be written about in future articles.

Ultimately, if the user is forced to go without drugs for a day, and sometimes two days, then the body will have terrible withdrawal symptoms. Like previously mentioned, drugs start to affect the body in devastating ways. By taking advantage of your brain, drugs can manipulate your body and cause physical pain when you’re deprived of drugs. Some symptoms of withdrawals include vomiting, headaches, severe body pains and in some cases, death. Drugs are very serious and they progressively damage your body. If you don’t take the dangers into account before using drugs then you could deteriorate your organs and other internal areas to the point that your body is unable to recover. However, assuming that you’re in stable health and able to suffer through the withdrawal period, you can make a clean recovery from addiction.

Recovering from addiction is about changing your lifestyle, changing the crowds you associate with and changing the way you think. You should never let a product overtake your mind. If you control your own brain to rely on nothing other than yourself, no drugs, then you can essentially conquer addiction. Recovery from addiction is not easy. Often times an addict will recover only to be placed right back into society with the very people that encouraged them to try drugs in the first place. These types of friends or family members aren’t going to help you live the lifestyle that you want to accomplish. Quickly disconnecting yourself from their lives is the best way to recover from addiction. By doing this you can relieve the pressures and temptations of doing what they’re doing. After being an addict you have to avoid situations that are going to bring back memories and ultimately bring back temptations. Once you’re an addict you’re always an addict. You can’t just try drugs “one last time” or you will be saying that for the rest of your life. Don’t fall into a cycle of fooling yourself that you’re recovering. Seek help from a certified counselor and/or a 12 step meetings.