Addiction is a chronic disease that many people will struggle with their entire lives. Despite the general acceptance that it is a disease, many medical facilities and people continue to place a stigma on those who are fighting an addiction. If a patient should relapse, they’re often met with disdain when they try to seek out assistance. People who believe addiction is a moral issue, and a choice, believe people battling addiction choose to struggle with a substance. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately, recovery won’t work for everybody. Some people will continuously get clean, then relapse over and over, even in the span of just a year or less. This is also the case for almost every illness that humanity has tried to treat, prevent, or contain. Not every cancer patient will be cured by their treatments. Not every vaccine will work on every person. These cases don’t mean we should stop researching vaccines or treating cancer, it just means we keep trying new things until we do find something that works. Plain and simple, people fighting addiction are sick, and often spiraled out of control. A vast majority of addiction is caused in some way by a mental health problem or illness. Addiction can affect anyone, at any point in life. Race, gender, age, occupation, financial situation or religious beliefs mean nothing. A large number of heroin addicts were originally prescribed a legal pain killer following a chronic pain diagnosis or accident. When their dosage stopped working for them, they turned to a stronger substance like heroin after being cut off by their doctor. People and organizations can be harsh in how they deal with people struggling with addiction. They believe these individuals willfully choose to be addicted to a substance. This line of thinking is partly to blame for the stigma that lingers over addicts trying to get help. Society often makes them feel ashamed that they have a problem, and telling them that they willingly chose to become physically and mentally addicted to a substance can be offensive to people in recovery. People who struggle with addiction are not wicked, immoral people who gleefully partake in drugs or alcohol. With very few exceptions, the choice to start using was, in the end, up to that person who started using. While this wasn’t a good decision, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they have become addicted to that substance. The choice to continue to abuse it is often out of their hands as the addiction takes root. Offer support as they try to go through the recovery process in an often unkind world.
Your story is waiting to begin with the rest of your life. Treatment is the beginning of the journey that changes your story. At Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in Orange County, California, we believe that when you change your story, you change your life. Call us today for information on our programs for treatment, including our exclusive executive track. 877.279.1777
