1. The User Must Want Help Before Treatment Can Begin!
It is true that the individual must want to change, but being forced into treatment is often a wake up call for the user. Many successful people have had substance abuse problems and then were forced into treatment by the courts, an employer, or family and friends. As the detoxification process progresses the thoughts and emotions that are experienced will change. The sober individual may respond well to treatment even if they resisted getting help initially.
2. I Have A Disease And Can Not Help It So Why Try?
The medical model for addiction confirms that substance abuse is a disease, and there is even a genetic component in many cases. That does not mean you are a victim though, or that you must accept these behaviors because there is nothing you can do. Reversing the neural changes this disease causes can be achieved using exercise, therapy, and other options that can include medication.
3. Addiction Is A Matter Of Willpower!
This myth is especially damaging. Addiction is caused by changes in the brain, and it is not a matter of being weak or strong. The compulsion that you feel to use the drug or alcohol and the intense cravings that you experience make the substance very hard to resist, and this will continue until successful treatment is received.
4. Treatment Failed Before So There Is No Need For Further Treatment After Relapse!
Many addicts must receive more than one round of treatment to be successful and reach a permanent sobriety. When individual counseling, group therapy, exercise, and spiritual counseling are all offered the chances of success will increase. A stress free environment is also essential so that you can work through the invisible wounds causing the substance abuse.
