Addiction, Don't Believe The Myths...Family Can Help!

We don’t yet truly understand the underlying processes occurring in the mind with addiction, and although we are getting closer to an understanding, things remain murky. One thing we do know with certainty however is that things are not always what they seem, and what seems logical and intuitive is not necessarily what's true or what works.nnMuch of public perceptions about addiction were formed in decades past, when we truly had little understanding over the processes of chemical dependency, and although we now know these perceptions to be false, they endure in the public consciousness, and do great and unintended harms to those who might otherwise recover from their addictions.nnTwo of the most problematic and enduring myths are that an alcoholic or addict needs to hit rock bottom before getting better, and that only the addict or alcoholic can decide to get help.nnNo More Rock Bottom!nnA lot of addicts do get help after hitting rock bottom, but that doesn’t mean that we have to wait until someone loses everything before intervening. Addictions entrench with time, and the longer we wait, the tougher the treatment, and the lower the probability of success. You do not have to wait for rock bottom, and if you do you are actually making things worse!nnPeople Don't Need to Want it, for it to Work!nnThe other enduring and very harmful myth is closely related to the misperception on rock bottom, and that is that unless an addict or alcoholic expresses a personal and committed desire to change, there is nothing that anyone can do.nnIt's not true! Clinical studies have shown that people who are forced into treatment do just about as well as people who enter into treatment out of a sincere desire to get better. In fact, since a lot of people mandated to get help are forced to finish started rehab or drug treatment, they actually do better!nnThe desire and commitment to sobriety doesn’t need to come before the beginnings of therapy, and it's often only after sobriety, clarity and therapy do addicts or alcoholics realize what they've become, and realize that they can and will get better.nnSo What Does this Mean?nnIt means that if you're watching a loved one self destruct with alcohol or drugs, you need not remain an idle spectator. You can get involved, you can convince of a need for treatment, and if you can ever get someone who needs help to go…they have an excellent chance of getting better.nnRun a family intervention, they work very well and can convince even the most reluctant of alcoholics or addicts of a need for help. At the end of the intervention, have treatment pre arranged and ready, and don’t allow for any time for an addict to change their mind. Get them in the car, bags already packed, and send them off for the help they so desperately need.nnFamilies can make a difference. It starts with getting educated about the truth, having the commitment to make a difference and the strength to make things happen.n