8DA697AQF7T4Drug use is, for the most part, an attempt to escape daily life, and the stress, anxiety, and sometimes seemingly insurmountable problems that come along with it.
We all use different
coping mechanisms to deal with these. Some of us were fortunate to learn early on healthy coping mechanisms on which to now rely on. The rest of us, on the other, did not. For those of us suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, we rely on our substance of choice as the coping mechanism that we think works best.
But in reality, we are only fooling ourselves. Drugs and alcohol only dampen the negative feelings; they are merely temporarily blocking them out—the key word here being temporarily. Inevitably, when the effects wear off and we’re left sober, those feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness come rushing back.
Drugs and alcohol do not work to solve or resolve our problems. Sometimes, because of their negative effects on our emotional well-being and general outlook on life, they only make things worse. Never mind their familial, professional, financial, and sometimes judicial consequences.
The goal of addiction rehab, as part of your recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction, is to learn new, healthy and beneficial, coping mechanisms through professional psychotherapy and counselling. Activities like exercise, art, and even hobbies may also help to fill the void left by drugs or alcohol.
Without drugs or alcohol in your life, you will find a pretty large void in your life—probably bigger than you initially expected. Especially in the early stages of your recovery, there will be a void in your time. The time usually spent drinking or doing drugs will need to be filled with something else healthier and more constructive.
As well, you will need something to replace drugs or alcohol as a means to relax, to alleviate stress, anxiety, and even boredom; as something to do when you’re happy; as something to reward yourself with; and as something to comfort you.
Addiction treatment helps you to be mindful to not replace your old, unhealthy, habit with a new one. Working with an addiction counsellor while in treatment helps you to find a suitable, best-fitting way to deal with your negative feelings in a constructive way.
What are some of the other ways that you count on?
