Taking Medication and Staying Clean

To just about any addict, the phrase, “Take as prescribed” is considered as a suggestion. Instead of one every four hours, they take 4, every hour. To recovering addicts, this is a joke. To others that think they don’t have a problem, this may be a warning sign.

Talk to Your Doctor, Sponsor and Friends

An addict’s body doesn’t know the difference between prescribed drugs and street drugs. A drug, is a drug, is a drug. So, when we go to the doctor for anything we explain that we are recovering addicts and ultra-sensitive to any mood or mind-altering drugs. We take a sponsor or another recovering addict with us to our appointment. We talk to our doctor about any alternative treatments that may be available. We find out if we can take a smaller dose.

Striving for Perfection

In our minds, we all have an idea of what life is supposed to be like. These ideals can extend into various aspects of our lives – from our relationships to our families, to our children, our work and more. Striving for perfection is a noble endeavor, but only if we are also able to understand and accept our limitations, which we all have; otherwise, we set ourselves up for constant disappointment. Life rarely goes according to plan, and those who expect things to be perfect are going to be regularly disappointed.

The same is true for substance abusers who enter recovery with high expectations of themselves; they develop an all-or-nothing approach to sobriety that sets them up for disappointment and threatens their chances for an enduring recovery.

How Perfectionism Fuels Addiction

It’s not unusual for people who give up an addiction to alcohol or drugs to become perfectionists.

You often hear that the first step to recovery is recognizing that you have a problem, and need help. But what if your loved one is resistant to drug treatment? What should you do?

The answer, unfortunately, is complicated. Family and loved ones typically advocate seeking help faster than a drug or alcohol addict. While this situation is normal, it is no less frustrating. Professionals call this stage “resistance” and admit that it is one of the most difficult and complicated situations to treat.

If you find yourself dealing with a loved one who is resistant to getting treatment, all is not lost. Here are some things you can do to move toward getting your loved one the help he/she needs.

Educate yourself. Learn more about addiction and what the affect the disease has on your loved one. Educating yourself about addiction and treatment will help you understand why your loved one is resistant to seeking help, even if they know they have a problem.