It’s Not Your Fault – Addiction is a Disease

How often does someone who’s addicted hear silly things like, “Don’t you have any willpower? Just quit, it’s not that hard! Put your mind to it and you can do anything!”

Trust me, if an addict could simply quit, they would. But, they can’t. It’s just not that easy.

When you get addicted, it’s very much like having a split personality.

When you get addicted it’s very much like having a split personality. Having lived with addiction first-hand for 13 years, I can tell you I was not of right mind. I did things I never thought I’d do, I stopped doing things that are extremely important to me and life became nothing more than a chase for more pills. Addiction was fricken hell.

I not only suffered first-hand, I also watched my oldest brother Jeff turn from “happily married intelligent man who owns a business and loves his family” to “Stay the hell out of my way, all I care about is getting high, and nothing else matters!”

He overdosed and died just 5 years later.

My brother got addicted to opioids in the year 2000. He overdosed and died just 5 years later. It was crushing to watch such a great, intelligent, loving, funny, caring person go from happy and successful to broke, divorced and then dead in under 5 years.

I once drank my son’s cough medicine.

Ask any person who’s addicted “have you ever done something you never thought you’d do just to get more drugs?”, and I’ll promise you 99% will say yes. I once drank my four-year old son’s cough medicine because it had hydrocodone in it. Medicine he needed for a chronic cough that kept him up all night for weeks at a time. I still can’t believe I did that. Addiction also causes shame and regret, in case you’re wondering…

Addiction is a disease, not a moral choice. Once addicted, it becomes a physical and emotional battle with the brain that willpower cannot win.

Why couldn’t my brother control his drug use like I do? I have this under control…

The real shocker? It didn’t even slow me down from using drugs. I remember thinking, “Why couldn’t my brother control his drug use like I do? I have this under control.” Yet, three years later, I started down the same slope my brother had slipped down, and I stayed totally addicted for another 5 years. Living with addiction was like living in hell 24/7. I wanted to die, and I had every intent to commit suicide if treatment didn’t work. Inpatient treatment did NOT work for me. Thankfully, I remembered how Suboxone made me feel when they gave it to me in treatment.

I left inpatient treatment and relapsed six times in seven weeks. Talk about wanting to die. What was left for me? I was out of options and my family had given up on me, and I can’t blame them one bit for doing so.

I was at the brink of commiting suicide when I remembered how good I felt when I received Suboxone in the treatment center. I remembered I felt normal, my back pain was alleviated, my cravings were gone, my withdrawal symptoms went away, and best of all, I felt like a regular human being.

Suboxone is a miracle drug. It saved my life.

Suboxone saved my life and then gave me the time and mental clarity to begin private therapy, group recovery, and so much more. Suboxone is a miracle drug. It saved my life.

Try to remember, it’s not their fault

If you know an addict, then you know the hell they can put you though. Try to remember, it’s not their fault. That doesn’t mean go lightly on them or allow them to manipulate you. It just means they need help, and they cannot beat their addiction alone. Addiction requires medically-assisted therapies in order to be effective. That’s why Suboxone clinics in Nashville, TN like Nashville Recovery exist. They provide individualized addiction treatment, all based on the latest, most effective therapies and medicines.

Here’s a portion of an article posted by Michigan Health that speaks volumes about the addicted brain:

In a November 2016 report, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., publicly confirmed what researchers have known for years: Addiction is a chronic illness accompanied by significant changes in the brain.

Addiction does not occur because of moral weakness, a lack of willpower or an unwillingness to stop. This finding stems from decades of work investigating the effects of substance use on the brain.

The first time individuals drink or take drugs, they do so voluntarily, and they believe they can control their use. With time, more and more alcohol or drugs are needed to achieve the same level of pleasure and satisfaction as when they first started. Seeking out and taking the substance becomes a near-constant activity, causing significant problems for them and their family and friends. At the same time, progressive changes in the brain drive the compulsive, uncontrollable drug use known as addiction.

When this happens, individuals can no longer voluntarily choose to not use drugs or alcohol, even if it means losing everything they once valued. (read the full article)

If tou know someone who needs help putting an end to their opioid addiction, Nashville Recovery can help. Nashville Recovery is a Tennessee State Licensed Addiction Treatment Center that focuses on private medically-assisted treatment using Suboxone and private therapy to help people overcome their addiction once and for all. All, without painful withdrawals and cravings, and working side-by-side with a team of caring professionals. Nashville Recovery Is owned by people in recovery, who understand first-hand what it’s like to be addicted, and also what it’s like to overcome this terrible disease.

Click here to Recommend a Friend to Nashville Recovery.