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By: Terry Gorski with additions by: Lee Jamison
Mistaken
Belief #9: When people relapse it means that they have not “hit bottom”
yet and that they need more pain.
Fact: Many relapse prone people have “hit bottom,” but
their disease has handed them a shovel and told them to start digging.
In addiction, as in any other disease, a certain amount of pain is necessary
to recognize that you are sick and in need of treatment.
When the pain of drinking
or using becomes more intense than the pain of not drinking or using,
most people become motivated to stop. But the decision to stop is not
the same as the decision not to drink or use again. The pain of sobriety,
for many people, is so intense that it can interfere with the ability
to stay sober.
Too
much pain can become crippling. Pain itself can make a person dysfunctional
and unable to think or respond to treatment. Relapse prone alcoholic/addicts
experience such severe pain as a result of their alcoholism/addiction
that the pain cripples them. This crippling pain persists into sobriety
and prevents them from getting well. The pain of alcoholism/addiction
and the symptoms that occur in sobriety often contribute to the relapse
process.
People who believe that more
pain is necessary will punish themselves for the failure to stay sober.
They will also accept harsh confrontation and extremely punitive therapy
without question, thinking that they deserve it. “Maybe if I hurt
worse this will not happen again.” This increased pain increases
the likelihood of a future relapse. It also destroys self-esteem and self-respect.
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This Article is exerpted from "Staying Sober" By: Terence T. Gorski Copies of the book can be obtained from CENAPS® Corp. Copyright© 2000, All Rights Reserved to Author |
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01/28/2001
