Take it from an addict, I would have never admitted to you that I needed help until I was literally starving and almost dead. CONVINCE an addict to get sober before they are ready? Yeah! When Pigs fly! (If pigs ever learn to fly I will edit this blog immediately). The only thing that is one hundred percent sure to make an addict go to rehab is complete and utter defeat. As much as that stinks for the rest of the people in our lives who love us and have to watch us kill ourselves, it is the only option.
That being said, we addicts will come up with thousands of different excuses and reasons to avoid going to rehab. We like to think we don’t need it, or that we have it all under control. As a recovered addict, I realize now that my mother was…. probably right the FIRST time she brought up that I had a problem. However, she was crying and it made me angry so I shut her out and continued on my delusionally merry way, stating I couldn’t go to rehab because “I wasn’t as bad as my friends.” Plot twist, I didn’t have any friends, they all stopped hanging out with me because they were worried about me too, but she didn’t know that.
Frothy Emotional Appeal Seldom Suffices
-Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
One of the hardest parts of loving an addict is watching them kill themselves, and being unable to do anything about it. No matter how much you may beg, plead, stomp your foot, or walk away, we will make excuse after excuse to avoid stopping. Here are some common ones:
“I can’t take time off from work”
I worked part time as a waitress and called out a lot because I would be withdrawing, but I still clung to the idea that I couldn’t leave my job for treatment because the restaraunt needed me. Now I understand that many people do manage to have grown up 9-5 jobs and are supporting their families but here is the deal, if they really have a problem, they are going to lose the job anyway. It can be scary for parents who suffer from addiction to think about leaving their children, and this is understandable. But again, if they get a DUI or get a divorce, they might definitely lose the kids. In the grand scheme of things, taking a month to go to rehab, rather than a lifetime behind bars, is a much better idea.
“I have it under control”
Famous last words. We addicts and alcoholics tend to live in a state of constant denial and delusion. We think we have everyone fooled for the most part, but in reality, we don’t. The tricky thing about addiction is that it sneaks up on us. It starts out all fun and games, and one day we wake up, withdrawing and sweaty, in a state of chaos and anxiety. I always thought I had it under control until the substances ran out and I couldn’t function again until I got more. But once I did, those thoughts would always gently subside… until I ran out again.
“I don’t have time to be sick”
Referring back to the previously mentioned excuse, addicts tend to fail in realizing that if they took the time to go to rehab, they might never have to be sick from withdrawal again. However, we are driven by a hundred forms of fear, and the initial sickness is just the tip of the iceburg for us. The reality is really that it hasn’t gotten bad enough yet to no longer care if we are sick for a few days.
One day, the inevitable bottom will come for every alcoholic and addict. The hard truth is that, for some, that bottom may mean a body bag, and that is just how it is with us. However, if you are one of the lucky ones that makes it out of your addiction alive, chances are, it is going to get very very dark before the dawn. But fear not! When that dawn does come, and you climb out of the hole of bitter despair that you have been calling an existence (I speak out of experience) you will find that each and every excuse that the addict makes to avoid rehab and sobriety was just holding us back from our true potential. Hitting our bottom is the start of our new life, it is the ashes that we rise out of, only to emerge as fiery pheonix’s hellbent on being good people. That is who we were meant to be all along. When the beautiful day comes when an addict/alcoholic hits their bottom, their whole world will change. They will no longer be able to make excuses to not get sober. They will finally know, without question, that they have come to a point where they can either change their ways and live a new life or die.
And that, in all of its simplicity, is the only ultimatum for us addicts and alcoholics.
Seeking Treatment for Alcoholism and Addiction
If you or a loved one has a problem with alcoholism or addiction and want to experience recovery in a thriving community with lots of people just like you, then call the professionals at Stout Street today at 866-722-7040. Our trained staff is standing by to take your call and help you in any way we can. We know how difficult of a decision this can be and we know what it takes to ensure you find your own person path in recovery. You no longer have to do it alone, so give us a call today and find the happy and sober life you’ve always dreamed of.