5 MYTHS ABOUT ADDICTION
Myth #1: You need to go to inpatient treatment to get better.
Reality: Inpatient treatment can create a safe container for physical withdrawal and a break from your life, which is a great opportunity to rest, reflect, and focus on yourself. When I worked at an inpatient treatment center I saw people make important progress and have a lot of ‘aha’ moments. However, the big challenge in addiction work is learning to apply those insights to your regular life: at your job, in your relationships, and in your day-to-day coping. Treatment in the community allows you to start to make changes to your daily life right now, and you can buy a lot of individual and group therapy in the community for the cost of a month at rehab.
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Myth # 2: Addiction is a self-destructive behavior.
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Reality: Human beings are very predictable: we don’t do anything unless there is some concrete benefit to us, no matter how difficult it might be to identify at the outset. It’s easy to look at the damage that addiction causes in our lives and to simply label ourselves as ‘self-destructive’, but this eliminates the opportunity to get curious about how our addiction is serving us: does it numb our pain? Distract us from a life that feels void of meaning and purpose? Are we treating social anxiety, trauma, grief, or depression through our use of alcohol or drugs? If we can identify the need addiction fulfills, we can start to address that need in a different and more sustainable way.
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Myth #3: Abstinence is the only path to recovery from addiction.
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Reality: Abstinence in many ways makes recovery easier. When the decision of whether or not to use or drink is taken off the table, we don’t have to struggle with ourselves about ‘how much is too much’ or what might be motivating our desire to drink or use drugs at any given moment. However, if you’re not ready to quit entirely, you can start making changes that reduce the harm drinking or drugs are causing in your life right now. If this process is going to be effective, it has to be based on what you decide you want your use to look like, not on what everyone around you is telling you.
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Myth # 4: Addiction is caused by exposure to an addictive substance.
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Reality: If this were true, anyone who has ever been prescribed opiates or consumed alcohol would have an addiction. When I worked at the public women’s addiction program in Halifax, almost 100% of our clients had a trauma history. Addiction is a symptom of something else: the challenge in treatment is identifying the underlying issues and figuring out how to address them.
Myth #5: Opiates (heroin, fentanyl, percocet, etc) are the most dangerous drugs to withdraw from.
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Reality: Alcohol is the most dangerous drug to withdraw from. Opiates have a reputation for being miserable to withdraw from, but alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures, which can kill you. If you drink every day and you’re considering quitting cold turkey, talk to your doctor first. A GP can prescribe medication that can make it safer.