It Matters Why You Get High on Drugs
You’ve been doing this for years – shooting up or drinking, or even both. Day after day you escape the reality of what goes on around you. But why? How did this start? What’s the real reason?
Dual Diagnosis Addiction with Mental Illness
If you take a look back, way back, do you recall a lot of depression or anxiety? Or did you always seem to be going up and down, mood swings coming with the change of the breeze? If so, you may have a mental illness along with your addiction, also called a dual diagnosis.
Although it is not completely known which comes first, the latest research suggests that in most cases the mental illness comes first. That means you have very likely turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the mental stress and emotional pain of your depression, anxiety, bipolar, or even schizophrenia.
Turn to Drugs and Alcohol to Cope With Trauma
You may have had a tough life as a child – abuse, neglect, divorce, frequent moves, parents with multiple boyfriends or girlfriends. Or you might have experienced a traumatic event or situation like a car accident, death of someone close, natural disaster, or another life threatening experience.
The emotional burden of going through these kinds of situations can feel too big to bear. The loss or fear can feel overwhelming, drugs and alcohol may provide the escape you desperately want. These events can even trigger an episode of depression or anxiety, which would add to the load.
Feelings of Self Doubt and Insecurity Get the Addiction Ball Rolling
You can be the life of the party when you are out drinking or partying with your friends. But sober, you feel like you don’t have much to say or you doubt how much others like you. You want to be sure you are “on” at the party, plus you drown out your otherwise constant stream of self-critical thoughts.
At first, your alcohol and drug use may have felt like a solution to a problem. However, if you are already at risk for an addiction in some way (addictive personality type, depression or anxiety, high tolerance, low self-worth), this “party use” can push you over the edge into addiction.
Why Does it Matter Why You Get High
There are many ways of getting a high feeling – getting immersed in an activity you love, watching an exciting sporting event, recalling special fun moments from the past, watching your kids enjoy their activities, taking a brisk walk in a beautiful location, coming across a little good luck in your day. All of these can come naturally and enhance your life experiences.
When you have a great deal of emptiness and you chase an impossible high, you may in fact chase down an addiction. You get hooked on the sensation, becoming dependent on it to just do normal things. Before long, you might lose sight of how it started in the first place.
Getting on the Road to Addiction Recovery
It’s so important to uncover the original issues that started your drug use. You may have picked up a few more problems along the way, but you need to understand what triggered it. It’s likely you still have that problem, too. Understanding these problems are the key to making your recovery healthy and long lasting. The better your self awareness, the better chance you have of holding off addiction relapse.
Know why you get high – you may even have more than one reason by now. Don’t wait – you can have a healthier life by starting drug rehab today.
Tags: Drug Addiction, drug-rehab, It Matters Why You Get High on Drugs
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