Accepting You Have a Problem: The First Step to Getting Help with Addiction
Acknowledging that you have a problem with substance abuse and addiction can be incredibly difficult. But it is the first step towards healing, personal growth, and regaining control over your life. However, accepting the reality of addiction can be a formidable task, as it requires facing uncomfortable truths and overcoming the powerful force of denial. The good news is admitting you have a problem, seeking help, and committing to remain sober can help you live a purposeful and fulfilling life.
Why Denial?
Denial is a defense mechanism we use when faced with challenging situations like addiction. Denial can be triggered by various factors, including fear of judgment and stigma, a desire to maintain control, the belief that the problem is not severe, and a lack of awareness or understanding of the consequences of addiction. Emotional factors, such as shame, guilt, and embarrassment, can also contribute to denial. Additionally, the brain’s adaptation to substance abuse can impair judgment and distort perception, reinforcing denial.
Admitting we have a problem with substance abuse can be frightening, as it requires us to acknowledge our personal weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But acknowledging our problem with substance abuse and facing our weaknesses and vulnerabilities is a crucial and empowering step towards personal growth, healing, and ultimately breaking free from addiction.
What Makes Denial So Dangerous?
Denial can be incredibly dangerous and detrimental to our well-being. By denying the reality of addiction, we refuse to acknowledge the negative consequences of substance abuse, perpetuating a cycle of destructive behaviors. This prevents us from seeking the necessary help and support needed to address addiction, prolonging our suffering and delaying the process of recovery.
Denial also shields us from fully understanding the severity and impact of our addiction, blinding us to the harm we may be causing ourselves and those around us. It hinders personal growth, prevents self-reflection, and inhibits the development of healthier coping mechanisms. By clinging to denial, we remain stuck in a pattern of self-deception and isolation, further deepening the grip addiction has on our lives. If we continue to deny the problem, we’ll never break free of it.
In short, denial leads to:
- Delayed Treatment: Denial prevents us from seeking help promptly. Consequently, addiction can worsen, leading to severe physical, psychological, and social consequences.
- Continued Destructive Behaviors: By denying the problem, we continue engaging in addiction-related harmful behaviors. This can lead to damaged relationships, financial instability, legal issues, and declining physical and mental health.
- Self-deception: Self-deception allows us to create narratives and justifications that shield us from the harsh realities of our substance abuse. We may downplay the severity of our addiction, make excuses for our behavior, or blame external factors. This self-deception leads to isolation and causes us to resist acknowledging the need for help.
But, however difficult it is, embracing the reality of our addiction is the essential first step toward breaking free from its hold and seeking the necessary help to reclaim our lives.
Accepting Reality
Admitting that we’re addicted to something isn’t easy, but it is possible. Some of the most practical ways to accept this reality include:
- Reflecting on the consequences of our actions. Take an honest inventory of the negative effects our addiction has had on our lives. Assess the damage caused to our physical health, relationships, career, and overall well-being. This reflection can be painful but is crucial for accepting the need for change.
- Learning to be honest and vulnerable. Accept that vulnerability is an inherent part of the recovery process. Recognize that admitting our addiction requires strength and courage, and it is okay to ask for help. Opening ourselves up to the possibility of change and growth allows us to break free from the chains of denial.
- Seeking the support of trusted family and friends. Reach out to trusted friends, family members, or support groups who can offer guidance and non-judgmental support. Sharing our struggles with others who have experienced similar challenges can help us feel less alone and remind us our addiction does not define us.
- Understanding what addiction is really about. Seek information and learn about addiction as a disease. Understanding the nature of addiction, what triggers it, its effects on our mind and body, and the consequences it has on our lives can help us gain insight into what’s happening in our lives and accept it.
- Think about who you are versus who you want to be. Reflecting on who we are versus who we want to be can be a powerful tool in accepting the reality of addiction. By examining our current behaviors, choices, and the consequences of our addiction, we can identify the gaps between our current selves and the individuals we aspire to become. This can help us recognize that addiction prevents us from living up to our full potential and achieving our goals. Realizing this gap can also make it more transparent that addiction is not just a temporary problem but a significant barrier to personal growth and a fulfilling life.
- Seek professional help. Reach out to addiction treatment centers, therapists, or counselors specializing in addiction. These professionals can provide valuable guidance, personalized treatment plans, and therapeutic interventions to support us on our journey to recovery.
Remember, accepting the reality of our addiction is not an easy process, but it is a transformative step toward regaining control over our lives and finding lasting healing and freedom from addiction.
Let Us Help You Overcome Denial
Overcoming denial is a critical step to recovery from substance abuse and addiction. By acknowledging the existence of our problem, we empower ourselves to seek the help and support needed to break free from the grip of addiction. Although denial may be rooted in fear, shame, and self-deception, we can challenge and overcome it. Let us help you break down the barriers of denial and embrace the opportunity to heal, grow, and find lasting freedom from addiction. Remember, you are not alone, and resources are available to support you every step of the way. Together, we can overcome denial and build a brighter future.
Contact us today to learn more.
Reviewed and Assessed by
Taylor Brown, B.A.Com., CADC
Tim Coleman, M. of Ed.
Start Your Recovery Now!
Have A Midwest Recovery Centers' Team Member Call You Today.
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Staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Medical
Midwest Recovery Centers believes strongly in a client-centered approach. Substance Use Disorder is not what it was 5 or even 2 years ago. The substances on the street are constantly changing and so are the number of contraindications and fatal threats that substance use imposes on the person suffering. Our Medical team continues to stay up to speed with new advances of evidence-based approaches in treating those with both substance use disorder as well as their co-occurring mental health diagnosis. There are many varying pieces to each client’s situation when it comes to tackling the puzzle of a medical detox, and each step in the treatment planning is carefully selected, reviewed, and communicated for the best possible outcome of each client. We understand that consideration of the medical history, family history, past trauma, past and current substance use are all key indicators to most effectively give each client the best chance at developing a recovery process. Each client may present with a different scope of medical needs whether it’s their blood work or the most effective medications for them. Midwest Recovery Centers is proud to have the finest medical team to meet these individual and specific needs of each client that walks through our doors.
Clinical
When it comes to the therapeutic treatment of patients with substance use disorder, Midwest Recovery Centers believes in a client-centered approach guided by evidence-based practices. Substance use disorder has been identified by the American Medical Association as a disease, but because addiction is a disease that impacts behavior, treatment of this disease is often heavily focused on modifying behaviors and thoughts as well as establishing a new way of life. We place a strong emphasis on educating patients about this chronic illness and empowering them to practice treating it as such. Our clinical team is composed of leading experts in the field. We believe in having a staff as diverse as the clients we serve; from Licensed Professional Counselors to Licensed Clinical Social Workers, our staff is highly trained and educated in not only addiction but the mental health issues and life circumstances that often accompany it. Many of our clinicians have their own personal experience in long term recovery which lends them to an even better understanding of what our patients are experiencing. Our staff is highly skilled in choosing the most effective therapeutic modality for each client’s needs, to give them the best chance of securing the recovery process that will change their lives. Our clinical team understands that this is a family disease. This is why clinicians will offer weekly updates to families as well as concrete tools for families to utilize as they journey through this illness with their loved one. Those tools will be offered by the patient’s individual clinician as well as at our free Family Night on the first Wednesday of each month, offered to anyone in the community.
Our Origin Story
I began Midwest Recovery in honor of my mother, Betty Lou Wallace, who taught me responsibility in life and sobriety.
Mom was born, raised, and lived most of her life in Missouri, a state I'm still proud to call home. She had five children. The youngest were my older brother Don and me.
We knew that the disease of addiction ran in the family, but it wasn't until Don and I grew older that we realized we were falling into addictive patterns. Through it all, Mom was supportive of her children but firm about one principle: whether the disease was inherited or developed through your environment, you were responsible for your recovery from addiction.
"I will be supportive of your recovery but I will not enable your addiction," she was fond of saying.
Ultimately, I stayed sober from 1990 to 1997, when I relapsed. With Mom's support, I was able to get sober again in 2002. Tragically, Don was not so lucky. He passed away in 2005 from complications of an injury and continued addiction.
Mom wanted no parent to suffer from the sorrow and anguish of losing a child, so in 2002, she helped me establish my first treatment center business.
As Mom grew older, she shared with me some lessons she had learned through her affiliation with Al-Anon, a support group for family members of loved ones struggling with addiction. She asked me to stay clean and sober one day at a time and to use the lessons I learned in my own recovery to help others who were suffering.
In 2008, Mom passed away from throat cancer, one day after my six year sober anniversary. I still remember that one of the last times we spoke, she told me she was proud of my recovery.
Mom would be so happy to know that myself, our partners, and our team are carrying on her legacy in her home state. I don't know if my own recovery process would be intact without her and the lessons she shared. So much of what we share with our clients at Midwest began with Betty Lou.
Above all, Mom imparted several teachings that I carry with me every day: that people are inherently good, and if they fall into addiction, this makes them sick, not bad. She taught me to be patient, tolerant, loving, and kind to myself and to others.
Most of all, she taught me that recovery works if we are able to be honest with ourselves about our own behavior. That’s what she helped me accomplish and that’s what we strive to accomplish with every Midwest client.
On behalf of Betty Lou, I thank you for your interest in Midwest Recovery.
Jeff Howard
Start Your Recovery Now!
Have A Midwest Recovery Centers' Team Member Call You Today.
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Self-care is a cornerstone of successful long-term recovery from substance abuse. It involves adopting practices that promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being, helping individuals manage stress and maintain sobriety.
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The stigma surrounding substance abuse is a significant barrier to seeking treatment. Many individuals delay getting help because of fear, shame, or judgment.
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