The hardest stage to get through when you are a drug addict or are dealing with one is denial. It is hard for a drug addict to admit he or she has a problem. This is why there is such a need for interventions; it is hard to make a drug addict face the realization that a problem does exist.
Some people believe that having a few drinks after work or at a social occasion is fine, and for many it is. However, there are some who can not stop and end up getting drunk. Some people believe that smoking a joint of marijuana is okay and relaxing. They are in denial that an addiction is coming or that it can harm them in the long run.
There are some on prescription pain relief, due to back problems or an accident. They convince themselves that they are in pain even after the pain itself has subsided, thus avoid facing the fact that they have become addicted to the medication.
Denying drug addiction will not solve your problems.
Drug addicts have a hard time believing they have a problem. They argue that marijuana is not addicting; they deny they are alcoholics; they explain their need for a prescription medication long after they have recovered from the actual illness or injury. By the time they are ready to admit that they are indeed addicted, it can very well be too late, as far as both physical and mental problems associated with substance abuse go.
Drug addicts avoid taking responsibility for their actions, instead blaming those around them or the situations they find themselves in, so that by the time they do accept reality, it takes an act stronger than just them alone to do something about it. Treatment programs help drug addicts to face the truth about their addiction and the underlying problems associated with it.
The reality is that drug addiction can lead to permanent damage physically and mentally. People with substance abuse problems sometimes refuse to accept their addictions until faced with cancer, cirrhosis, or damage to other organs.
The saddest thing? Drug addicts do not realize until it is too late that life really was better, they really were happier, their bodies did function better, before they succumbed to drug addiction. They avoid life, they avoid real relationships, they avoid being the wonderful people they were meant to be. That is the saddest part about drug addicts avoiding the reality and therefore, the recovery, of drug addiction.
Nick Hayes is a graduate of the Narconon drug rehab program in 2005. Nick takes much enjoyment in writing, and feels there needs to be more information about drugs and alcohol provided to the people of the world. He believes nobody should have to go through an addiction.