Addiction Denial And Your Sense Of Control
Control is really an illusion at best. Most of get by with a sense of modest control of ourselves and our immediate surroundings. And sometimes, even that doesn’t seem to fall into place. Drug addiction robs you of this important assessment. It fools you into believing you have an unrealistically high level of control over yourself and others. And ironically, the effects of drug addiction usually leave you with much less control than most people have.
Perception Of Control Off Base With Drug Addiction
The perception of control could not be more different from the reality when it comes to drug addiction. However, many drug addicts are in deep denial of this seemingly obvious problem. Logic takes a back seat to emotions. Rational viewpoints get pushed aside in exchange for whatever makes the whole picture fit together for the drug addict (even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else).
Taking in high amounts of drugs or alcohol causes damage to a person’s thinking processes and judgment. In some cases, drug treatment and well maintained sobriety can do much to reverse the problems with thinking and judgment. Emotions are amplified, which causes more difficulty with assessing reality because emotions are irrational and erratic.
Reality Is Tough To See When Emotions Rule
Ever felt like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or you didn’t get enough sleep, or you’re dealing with your fifth day of a nasty cold? Any of those situations could bring up some feelings of tension and frustration. If you ride those emotions all day long, regardless of the events, you could make one pretty lousy day for yourself. In reality, your frustrations may not be devistating. But in that frame of mind, nearly anything could make you miserable.
To make up for this, a person who’s highly emotional might make up excuses or justify their reactions to make things feel logical. Unfortunately, they are using emotions to make these judgments rather than seeing the big picture. They want to feel less uncomfortable about the fallout from being so emotional. They keep justifying things instead of facing their emotionality and behaviors. Pretty soon, they have a solid habit of keeping themselves in denial about their problem. All you have to do is add a drug addiction to that scenario, and you have the setup for serious addiction denial.
Drug Rehab Can Help Break Through Denial
Drug rehab can help with deep denial, especially when drug treatment counselors and fellow addicts start picking at the excuses and justifications. It may seem like a cruel process, but they are helping the addict by poking holes in their facade of denial. When reality can shine through, the addict has a chance at making some progress with sobriety. Finally, the addict has a chance of gaining some real personal control.
Tags: Addiction Denial And Your Sense Of Control, drug treatment, drug-rehab
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