There is a huge stigma behind the word “weak,” which is often tied to failure. Weakness comes in all shapes and forms. However, the word “weak” should never be used when someone reaches out for help. Because they do not want to be viewed negatively in the eyes of the world, people who suffer from addiction often see themselves as a failure when they can’t find the strength to quit on their own — even when they make the bold move to reach their hand out for support. But honestly, this is the furthest thing from the truth.
Table of Contents
Addiction Is A Mask For Control
Before you can understand why you are not weak when you ask for help, you need to learn that addiction is a mask used to control your life. Addiction causes individuals to feel alone and silenced. It tells your brain that you are doing fine, while masking your true feelings and struggles.
Because addiction alters your brain chemistry, it can create a world where you may feel fulfilled while you are using. But in reality, this world is counterproductive. The pleasures of addiction may seem like a resourceful way to push away your negative thoughts and cope with feelings and desires that are challenging. But when these stresses do not cease to exist without substances, addiction takes its hold. Addiction creates a veil over your brain, making you feel as if you have some control over your life when it is the addiction in control.
We use addiction as a way to cope with the emotional stress that is buried deep inside of us. We know that addiction can temporarily take away the stress and create a world where we feel safe, happy, and strong. However, addiction only makes us feel that way for a while and then we are right back where we started. Coping with our stress in a different way can help us fulfill those same desires for peace and happiness. We just have to ask for help — and that isn’t weak. It’s a sign of strength and courage.
Isolation And Denial Do More Harm
Those who get caught up with substance abuse may view themselves as falling short by both society’s and their family’s standards. If someone has an addiction, the adverse effects make it easy to fall into a negative mindset and feel like a tremendous failure. This is why addiction leads so many individuals to isolation and denial.
When you isolate or deny yourself from being honest and open with others, you are doing yourself even more harm. If you admit your addiction and tell your family that you’re getting help, you may fear that they will look at you differently or be disappointed in you. You don’t want to take that risk, so you stay silent and isolate yourself instead of facing feelings of inadequacy.
Even if you are a person who has strong willpower and ambition, addiction can still take hold of you. It affects the brain’s chemistry by creating an altered reality where you feel fulfilled, which is extremely difficult to resist on your own. Addiction is so challenging to fix without professional help because your brain becomes physically and psychologically dependent on it — it has nothing to do with weakness. When you isolate yourself and do not cope with your internal stress or the reality of your addiction, you are only doing more harm to yourself.
Recovery is a social journey
Addiction recovery isn’t only about trying to get past a point of dependence. It is about reinventing a person and building a solid mental, physical, and spiritual foundation. In order to accomplish this, it is important to never underestimate how crucial the social aspect of recovery is. Social recovery is a way to build empathy and learn how to connect with people around you, which helps promote a culture of openness to steer behavior.
Mental illnesses associated with addiction are fueled by loneliness
Oftentimes, addiction is a behavioral disease that is accompanied by a co-occuring mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder. For many of these mental disorders, isolation and loneliness can be incredibly destructive.
Antisocial behavior is a symptom of many mental illnesses, and also works to continue negative thought processes bring out other symptoms. When things like depression and generalized anxiety get worse, it isn’t uncommon for individuals to self-medicate with destructive substances, which continues to fuel addiction.
Support systems are a crucial aspect of recovery
One of the most important tools for addiction recovery is a strong social network. Addiction often pushes addicts to turn away from the people who most want to help them, such as family and friends. Part of recovery is rebuilding these bridges and establishing a strong support system that can help an addict recover during feelings of hopelessness.
Asking For Help Is Not A Weakness
You may not want to seem weak by admitting that you have crossed the line into addiction. One of the strongest things that you can do is to be open and honest with yourself, and then admit that you have a habit you need to break.
Reaching out to a professional who understands addiction and the recovery process is the furthest thing from weakness. When you admit to your addiction and ask for a helping hand, you give yourself access to an entire support system rather than hiding in isolation or denial. It’s one of the bravest things that you may ever do.
Others are ready to help in any way they can — you just need to know where to look. Asking for help is a sign of true integrity in the addiction community. When you choose to take that leap of faith, you may even encourage others to follow.
Stay Strong And Seek Support
By asking for help, you are deciding to better your life and the lives of those around you. You are making yourself stronger by seeking professional guidance and joining a recovery community that has walked the same path that you are on. The goal is to develop strength and confidence that far supersedes any fulfillment you received from substances.
It can be challenging to admit that you need help, and you may still want to push away the support at times. However, the 12-Step process towards sobriety is a proven and wise path to embark on. Professional help can guide you through the entire process and give you lifelong relationships that are worth gaining.
We believe that if you stay strong and seek support, you can get through difficult periods and show others that your request for help was a sign of strength and courage, not weakness.
Finding a compassionate place that offers strength and support is the first step to achieving your recovery and getting your life back. When you are honest with yourself about your addiction, you are wiping away the stigma of being weak. You are showing yourself that you are strong and you can be successful. Positive support can come from family members, friends, and communities who understand that you are not weak — you just need guidance through the recovery process. You can find this guidance right here at Renaissance Ranch. Our team of professionals and our programs encourage a positive mindset, giving you confidence and success as you recover. Show the world today that you are not weak. You are strong because you are asking for help. The community here at Renaissance Ranch is ready to help you every step of the way. To learn more, reach out to us today at (801) 308-8898.