Overcome
Addiction in 2014: Why Your New Year’s Resolution Should Be to Get Clean
If overcoming an addiction
was easy, millions of Americans would not lose their loved ones, careers,
homes, sense of self and sanity each year as a result of their drug of choice. Anyone who suffers from
addiction to drugs or alcohol, or
knows someone who suffers from addiction,
understands that overcoming addiction
is extremely difficult and may even seem impossible. Most individuals wait
until they “hit rock bottom” to seek help or may not seek help in time to
escape death and or dissipation of one’s “life as they know it”. The good news
is that whether you have already “hit rock bottom” or have newly recognized
that you have a problem, combating addiction
is not impossible and makes for a fabulously rewarding New Year’s Resolution.
Why Quit?
To an addict, the
mere thought of overcoming addiction
may seem incredibly overwhelming. An addict’s
drug of choice becomes the center of
their universe, and life before the drug’s influence may be difficult to
recall. When a person is addicted to
a substance, they become both physically and psychologically dependent on their
drug of choice. This means that not
only does the body crave the particular substance’s effects, the human brain,
(as an organ of habit), associates particular smells, sights, experiences and
people with drug use. Such triggers activate chemicals in the
brain which cause the body’s cravings. This is the same way that you may become
hungry and crave chocolate when you smell brownies cooking in the oven, (only
the cravings addicts experience are
thousands of times more intense than a sweet tooth).
Though difficult, there are many benefits of overcoming addiction. Some of these include:
The Opportunity to Rebuild Relationships- Whether introverted or extroverted,
human beings are social creatures who are in need of companionship. No matter
which relationships one values, (romantic, platonic, parent-child, brother-sister,
boss-employee, owner-dog), almost all relationships are damaged by the presence
of an addiction. Overcoming addiction provides an individual with
the opportunity to rebuild all relationships, thus creating a higher quality of
life for oneself. It has been proven that people are happier when they have
healthy and strong relationships in their lives.
The Chance to Regain Good Health (and Stay Alive) - According to recent studies, life
expectancy for an individual whom suffers from drug addiction is 15-20 years from the moment of addiction. Frightening much? And in the
event that an addicted individual is
able to beat the odds and outlive the 15-20 year predicted life span, he/she
will undoubtedly experience devastating health issues which make living a
regular and successful everyday life almost impossible. The good news is that
the human body can do amazing things, to include recovery from the abuse drug and alcohol can inflict. However,
in order for the body to repair itself and for good health to be restored, the addicted individual must stop using
their drug of choice.
The Financial Gains- There are
two main ways that an individual whom suffers from addiction can benefit financially as a
result of battling addiction. Number
one, both drug and alcohol abuse are incredibly expensive.
There is a good reason why individuals whom suffer from addiction often default to a life of crime, (particularly in the
area of theft). Just think of all the money you could save if you weren’t
putting out a fortune to obtain your drug
of choice! Number two, individuals whom suffer from addiction often find that their careers suffer. By overcoming addiction, you are providing yourself
with the opportunity to become the professional you could not be as an addict and make money you could not
make as an individual struggling with addiction,
(keep in mind that to be successful in a career, you must have the ability to get
out of bed every morning!)
The Opportunity to Get Yourself Back- Most individuals whom suffer from addiction express that they lose sight
of themselves. They make choices they never would have made before “the monkey
on their back”, (their addiction),
made itself present. They lose sight of the things they love- their families
and other loved ones, hobbies, passions, interests, goals. By overcoming addiction, you are unleashing the
opportunity to “get yourself back”, as well as the chance to gain self-esteem
and self-worth that may have been lost as a result of addiction.
So How Do I Do it, (the quitting that
is)?
At Self-empowerment NH, LLC, we take addiction issues personally. A counseling company located in
Concord, NH; at Self-empowerment NH LLC, we understand how difficult addiction can be and have an extensive
background in treating individuals suffering from the toughest of addictions. We have made it our mission
to fight one of the most devastating of all diseases to ever be identified. Addiction.
Lori Magoon is a Licensed Mental Health Clinician and a
Master’s Level Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Counselor. Lori’s effectiveness is based on providing a welcoming,
supportive and non-judgmental environment for all clients; as well as use of
innovative counseling strategies with scientifically proven effectiveness. Lori
stresses that as long as the individual seeking treatment is invested in
his/her recovery, recovery from even the toughest of addictions is possible.
Self-empowerment NH,
LLC accepts health insurance and does offer a sliding scale for those who
qualify. A variety of services are offered at our Concord location, some of
which include; individual and group counseling, evaluations and presentations
for parents, educators and both large and small employers in reference to signs
and symptoms of substance abuse.
To schedule an appointment or to attain more information,
please contact Lori at selfempowermentnh.com or by phone at (603)470-6937.
Open the door to self-empowerment and make 2014 addiction
free.
Sources:
· -
Worldlifeexpectancy.com/addiction
