Relationships

Podcasts are a generic term for audio or video programs you can get on your MP3 player or iPod. They are like “radio shows” on the Internet.

Casual Use Can Lead to Drug and Alcohol Abuse

For many people, what starts as casual use can lead to drug and alcohol abuse. It may seem unfair — as others may be able to casually use drugs or alcohol without the loss of control. And while the causes of addiction are not entirely known, what we can recognize are the habits that lead you to abuse drugs or alcohol.

Stages of Alcohol & Drug Addiction
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are several stages of drug use that may lead to dependence.

One of the most difficult things to do, especially for a loved one, is to watch them battle addiction. For many of us, our first instinct when seeing someone in trouble, especially for parents, is to help. But many times this “help” is actually hurting – and you could be enabling addictive behavior.

How do you know? Like many issues dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, there are no easy answers. What’s worse, realizing that you are enabling addictive behavior is a difficult emotion to deal with – and many enablers make excuses for their own — and their addicted loved one’s behavior.

Below are some examples of enabling an addict. If they sound familiar to you, it is time to get help. Professional addiction specialists, like those at 12 Palms Recovery Center, understand that stopping enabling a drug or alcohol abuser is not an easy decision.

Pushing against an immovable object is an exercise in frustration, and a big waste of time and energy. Yet for many of us, we do just that when we refuse to fully accept ourselves as we are, warts and all. There are just some things that have to be accepted for what they are. For example, a person may be born with a set of genes that could make them prone to certain diseases. There is nothing an individual can do about their genetic inheritance; all they can do is try to work with what they have. This is acceptance – the ability to effectively “be okay” with things beyond your control.

Self-acceptance can be defined as an unconditional affirmation or acceptance of self, in spite of weaknesses or deficiencies. True self-acceptance is attained when an individual is able to accept those realities, and does not feel the need to protest or change it.