The Addiction Door – Push Too Hard And You Are In

Those who are hitting the bottle too hard or regularly taking illegal substances should be aware just how easy it is to step over the entrance of the addiction door.

I’m in control:

It is easy to convince yourself that you are in control of your drinking or drug use, but both habits can very easily sneak up on you. What starts as an occasional pastime, becomes more frequent and before you realise it your drink or drug of choice has become a daily habit.

This is all down to your body and mind. They like what they feel, but such pleasure comes at a price. That price is tolerance.

After a while you will need to increase the amount of alcohol or drug you are using simply to achieve the same high as previously experienced.

Continued and sustained use of drugs or alcohol leads to dependence. The result is that they take control of you, not the other way around.

Need to feed – Going to extreme lengths:

The password to unlock the addiction door is ‘MONEY’. This password is not case sensitive, any currency will do!

The problem is that those who begin to rely on drink or drugs to get them through a day find the expense of this ‘luxury’ does not come cheaply.

First, the vast majority of any salary will go towards keeping you topped up, then savings will be dipped into until the pot is dry, and from there things go downhill rapidly.

Any valuables you or close family members have will be sold, petty or opportunist theft becomes a chance you will take, and many of those who become really desperate for dosh will sell their body simply to keep that increasingly vital supply line flowing.

Please do not think prostitution is only a route for female addicts, many men will fall into this trap in the all-consuming desperation to feed their habit.

Not only is this a dangerous pastime in terms of personal safety and self-degradation, it leaves you wide open to sexually transmitted diseases. Some of these really do not bear thinking about.

The addiction door – the exit is not the ‘cold turkey’ route:

The relative ease with which increased use, dependence and addiction snowballs does not mean it is just as easy to find the exit. Indeed, it is far more difficult.

Your mind and body will not let go off their dependence easily. Trying to go cold turkey is, in the vast majority of cases unsuccessful.

This is not because the person concerned is weak, it is because their need is that much greater. To ‘help’ remind you of just how dependent you have become suddenly stopping use will be rewarded with some very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

These withdrawal symptoms will vary in length and severity dependent upon how long you have been dependent!

Factors such as your general health and state of mind are also huge factors as to what you will go through.

The pain and uncomfortable feelings ‘cold turkey’ offers generally means the only answer is to get back on the bottle or have another much needed boost, and so your dependence deepens.

The addiction door – Exit via inpatient rehab establishments:

This route is seen by many to be the most successful way to begin the long haul back to a life that is drug or drink free.

These professional establishments are there to assist you, they will help you to understand exactly why you find yourself in such a position. They will educate, encourage and counsel you during your stay.

You will be subject to routine and rules that have been fine-tuned over many years of helping addicts get ‘clean’, and just as importantly a respected inpatient rehab operation will give flexible options for aftercare once your stay with them has been completed.

Some of the more prestigious overseas rehab establishments also offer complimentary ‘tune up’ sessions that allow you to revisit them free of charge.

Obviously, such a generous offer has conditions attached, but the main one, and the one most important to you is that a revisit means that you have stayed away from drink or drugs after your initial rehab stay.

Whichever way you look at such an offer it clearly states ‘SUCCESS’. It means you have managed to find a way to unlock the addiction door.