Alcoholism & Drug Help - A Practical Guide To Quit Addiction!

There are vast amounts of information out there on the whole "recovery" process from alcohol and drugs. With this vast information, I believe, we often lose sight of what matters most.

Alcohol and drug use is a painful business. Because of the pain and struggle involved we may search endlessly for the one cause or cure to end the madness. We become afraid, and through this fear cling to any shred of evidence we can find to lift us from our state.
Is there one way to succeed in "recovery"? Who is right? Who is wrong?

When it is all said and done, it does not matter which path you take to end alcohol or drug addiction. It's your choice, your life. Find a way.

There is hope and there are alternatives to current thinking of addiction.

My goal is to keep it real. I will only talk from experience. I've seen what can work and I know the potential each human has and can choose to use, if the desire is there and the right information and motivation is available.

I must emphasize that I believe in the value of each person, and like myself, each must come to terms with who they are, what they desire, and their own way of finding it.

AA and treatment can be beneficial in changing ones life from alcohol or drugs. However, I have met many alcohol or drug users who just couldn't make it work. They believed in a different phylosophy or life course. They wanted more than what was offered. I do not condemn them for their beliefs and passion for we all dance to a different tune.

You are not a failure because you did not succeed in previous attempts at "sobriety". Look deeper. Find your passion. Raise your standards and begin to believe again...... HOPE!

If you have tried to quit alcohol or drugs, and just can't find that peace and happiness through traditional programs, read on. Open your mind and heart to what is possible and know that you are not alone. There are others who struggled also, but found a way to live again.

My purpose here is to share what I have learned in the process and hope that it will encourage others to do the same. The question I often ask myself is "What statement do I want to give to the world?" Well, here are some, of many, that myself and others have deemed important enough to share.......

Drug abuse and alcohol addiction is not a disease, but a choice. You do not have to be a passive bystander to an imaginary disease of drug abuse or alcohol addiction; give up your will; be labeled as an alcoholic or "in recovery"; or attend meetings and substance abuse treatment for the rest of your life! (Unless you want to)

The majority of people who have had problems with alcohol abuse or drug addiction in the past quit on their own. Even those currently struggling with drug abuse or alcohol addiction will tell you that they have often refrained from drug or alcohol use for a period of time. There is no mysterious disease here, it is a matter of choice.

You are in complete control right now! No one is stopping you from cracking that beer, or sniffing that powder.
If you want to use alcohol or drugs, you will. Addicts always find a way.

So why is the alternative to using (not using) drugs or alcohol so difficult to comprehend? We can choose to pick up a beer whenever we fancy. But if we want to put that beer down, all of a sudden there are diseases, character defects, meetings, counseling treatment sessions, etc., to contend with!

Many who have had an alcohol abuse or drug abuse problem, have quit on their own and without all the drama and struggle!

But what about the 20% who really have a desire to stop using drugs or alcohol but just can't seem to quit with the current treatment practices? These people seem to abstain for a while only to fall prey to the inevitable "relapse". After much hard work in AA or substance abuse treatment and many promises broken, they prove the point once again that addiction is a disease.

However, if you are honest, you will see that there is a reason for your current choice of addictive behavior. It is simply a matter of fear and trying to maintain control of your personal life and feelings. No one likes to feel helpless, so you attempt to re-assert your control by using. The way most familiar to you.

The substance is not important here, but rather your "deciding" to use again. It’s your wanting to drink or drug. Think about it. There have been times when stress at work, home life, or any life circumstance has caused you to feel overwhelmed and like your life is not your own. As soon as you “decide” to go get some liquor, you feel a release. You have a plan. You regain some control. What happens? The deciding, “to get some liquor” becomes your focus and obsession. You are able to re-assert your will and regain a sense of normalcy.

Or so you think! You have been misled and deceived! Alcohol and drugs do not enable you to regain control. They further diminish your ability to resolve life conflicts and create a void between yourself and the world. While you are struggling to escape the helplessness you feel, you are neglecting healthy responsibilities to issues that arise which could have been resolved or dealt with instead of being exasperated by your addictive behavior.

You might be thinking, “This is obvious and common sense stuff!” But then why do so many fall for the illusion of control trap? Because we have been led to believe that alcohol and drug use help us escape.

But, even worse, we have been told that addiction is not under our control, that it is a disease! What a perfect “out” for someone who doesn’t want to cope with life responsibilities! “Hey, look, it is just my disease. I can’t help it.”

Let me illustrate one example. You go to the doctor for a small spot on your face that you are worried about. The doctor says it is a rash and gives you some cream to put on it everyday to get rid of it. You apply the cream, but as the days go by the rash gets bigger and bigger. You apply more and more cream, because you trust the doctor gave you the right ointment. But, the rash gets bigger and bigger! Would you still apply the cream? Absolutely not! It is the cream that is causing the rash to get bigger! In fact you may want to switch doctors! Just like the cream, alcohol and drug use do the same to us emotionally, physically, financially, socially, and spiritually. We believe they provide us with some relief, an escape. However, all along they are distancing us from life!

Those who struggle with alcohol abuse or drug addictions are finding that often the mainstream thinking isn’t helping them. Three or four rehabs later, many counseling sessions attended, and hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent only to find out that relapse is a part of treatment and the addiction "disease" is with you forever! What? Then why go? If something does not produce acceptable results, why continue in it? Because we have been led to believe that it is the only way.

You do not have a disease! And there are recovery alternatives to current drug abuse and alcohol addiction treatment! Your will to survive is strong, and your own path unique. I found that people who have overcome a drug or alcohol addiction did so through a willingness and a desire to redirect their lives.

Timothy Welch: Newark, Licking Count Ohio Treatment Alternative
Alcoholism help, drug help, addiction self help
www.recoverforever.com
www.addictionalternative.net
www.lickingcountycounseling.com
www.newarkohiocounseling.com

timothyjwelch@gmail.com

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In lasting memory of September 11, 2001