(ThyBlackMan.com) In the case of drugs and alcohol, nobody wants to admit they have a problem. They like to think that they can stop whenever they want. The truth of the matter is that when addiction takes hold, it never lets go. People who have gone to facilities like Pinnacle Peak Recovery will tell you that they still struggle on a daily basis with their addiction.
Being an addict isn’t the end of the road though. You have to look at this situation from the perspective that you have the power within you to recover from this setback. That’s what addiction is when you look at it. Nothing more than a setback.
Everyone always says that the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. This step is the most difficult one because admitting that you have a problem starts you down the treacherous road towards recovery. Nobody should be afraid of recovery though. Recovery is salvation from the enslavement known as addiction. You finally have the chance to do what you want on your own term
s. Your addiction isn’t controlling what you do on a daily basis. You’re in complete control.
The damage that’s done as a result of addiction is hard to undo. It’s especially difficult for people who are members of an already oppressed minority. African-American people in this country are already ostracized enough at it is. When you factor in addiction, you get a situation where an entire group of people have nowhere to turn. This article outlines for reasons why African-American men should avoid drugs and alcohol at all costs. That doesn’t mean that addiction is smooth sailing for everyone else.
A person needs to have a support system behind them to survive. In the throes of addiction, an addict dabbles in behavior that their support system might deem unacceptable. As a result, the addict will be the first to watch as all the people around them run for the hills. This phenomenon continues until the addict has no one around them on which they can depend other than their fellow addicts. There’s nothing worse for an addict than the company of other addicts. An addict needs people who will motivate them to stop their destructive behavior, not people who will only enable it.
Society’s stigma against addicts is the main reason they avoid seeking recovery. They believe that even if they were to come out of the shadows and admit that they need help, nobody would take them seriously. The eyes of everyone around them are leery and demeaning towards their struggle. It might seem ridiculous to look at addicts this way, but it’s the only approach that will allow them to recover. Anything else will make them feel like they are the scum of the earth. Nobody is going to want to overcome their addiction if they feel this way. They will just continue their behavior because they feel like no one is in their corner.
Addicts have no reason to feel like they have run out of places to turn. This idea couldn’t be any further from the truth. There’s an entire army of people who are eager to help addicts make their way out of the darkness. These people are patient and kind, understanding that an addict is someone who has been rendered powerless against their substance of choice. A person who’s addicted doesn’t want to be addicted. They want to be like everyone else. Their addiction keeps them from profiting from all the opportunities that everyone else enjoys. They should take it upon themselves to seize control of their own destiny.
Staff Writer; Michael Williams