If you have a loved one who is recently experiencing financial, work, family, and social strains due to addiction, you may be wondering what led them to this point. It is common for close friends and family to be concerned – if you’ve expressed your worries to your loved one before and they continued didn’t make decisions that you felt were in their best interest, you may have felt discouraged and upset. It’s important for you to understand what someone with addiction goes through both mentally and physically, as this impacts the choices they make and provides explanation for why many people hit “rock bottom” before seeking the help they need.
Rock bottom is often considered a person with addiction’s lowest point; a time at which something profound happens and the individual has an extreme revelation they need to seek treatment and quit their addiction. Many people with addiction seek treatment before experiencing such as a drastic moment, but others do not. The first reason is that many people with addiction are in denial. The following are phrases that many people with addiction say to themselves at one point or another:
- “It’s not that bad”
- “Everyone else is doing it”
- “I am functioning fine”
- “I don’t have a problem”
- “I’m only hurting myself and not others, so what does it matter? It’s my life.”
- “I can stop whenever I want to.”
These are only a few phrases of denial, but because addiction can alter the brain, a person with addiction may behave differently than they would have before. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that drugs can change the chemicals in the brain by “interfering with the way neurons normally send, receive, and process information”. Some drugs can cause neurons to activate, leading to abnormal messages being sent throughout the body’s communication system. Other drugs cause the neurons in the brain to produce excessively copious amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for producing feelings of happiness and pleasure. Your loved one may be struggling to make choices towards sobriety and safety because their body and brain is telling them they need more of the drug to continue to be happy.
This doesn’t mean your loved one cannot be helped or cannot recover, however. Millions of people have hit “rock bottom” and have sought treatment and developed the tools they needed to overcome their addiction. Recovery requires daily effort but with the right support system and the determination to achieve it, your loved one can be on their way to happier and healthier life.
New Vista Behavioral Health is home to several world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery treatment centers. We believe that recovery should include restoring the mind, body, and spirit, and we will work with your loved one every step of the way. If your loved one is seeking treatment, call us today at 888-316-3665 for a consultation.
