The World Is Upside Down, and I Am Addicted! What to Do!
Many feel that the world is turning upside down. We have a global pandemic and now riots and civil unrest in much of the world. For even the most stable person, these are stressful times. For the person suffering with addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, it may feel like the end of time.
The scrambled mind of someone in active addiction is malfunctioning and has little, if any ability, to make healthy decisions. Negativity is amplified and without the substances of choice, everything becomes catastrophic to the addict. This grows ever worse, requiring more and more of the substance or substances to blot out these unbearable feelings.
Get help
We see relapses and overdoses on the rise. Unfortunately, this is to be expected in such troubled times. Those in active addiction and even those in recovery who have gotten away from their recovery programs are struggling more now than ever. What can they do? Perhaps at no other time has there been a greater need to get help for their active addiction or to double down on recovery programs.
Families of those with a loved one suffering from addiction are even more stressed given the challenges of today plus the fact that a loved one is sick and may not survive. Many families are struggling financially. The increased burden on the family dealing with a family member in active addiction is further impacting them mentally and emotionally. Such is the nature of addiction. It is like a tornado that rips and roars through everything near it.
A tornado
For many people in society today, life in general feels like a tornado. For those with the added burden of worrying about an addicted loved one, they feel they are living in “a tornado within a tornado.”
In these times, we urge family members to do whatever they can to get their loved one help somewhere. Ideally, this would be a highly respected treatment center. If not possible, then get them to the nearest state funded facility. It is not wise for families to take on undue burdens when they are simply struggling to make it through.
Yes, there is hope.
The good news for people suffering from addiction is that there is hope. They don’t need to continue to suffer and make things even more unbearable for those around them. In a recovery process, these people can learn to live life on life’s terms, in good times and bad. They can also learn to be an asset as opposed to being a burden to the family and loved ones.
Many people who do not suffer from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol are seeking mental health assistance. This is not surprising given the present state of the world. Those who are dealing with a loved one in active addiction may need additional and more specific mental health assistance given the enormous strain being added to their already heavy loads. Most treatment centers provide family therapy, and we strongly suggest families take advantage of these resources.
In this together
As the saying goes, this too shall pass. That said, this is probably the most challenging time the world has gone through since WW2 over 75 years ago. Now is the time to ask for help, and there is much help available through private or public entities.
Whether you are a suffering addict or a family member struggling to cope with the suffering, there is help. Now is not the time to go it alone. We are all in this together.
