You’ve made the decision. You’re going to rehab. You’ve told your wife. Your parents. You even sent an email to your boss, explaining that you’ll be gone for a month and that your MFLA paperwork is being processed. Your bags are packed and you’re ready to go.
Except for one thing. You haven’t told any of your friends about your trip to rehab. Because you’ve never told them that you’re addicted.
Featured Rehab Center
The Stigma of Addiction
Although the disease concept of addiction is accepted by the healthcare and medical fields, addiction is still treated like a moral issue instead of a brain disease. Addiction carries the stigma of shame and guilt and it’s something that no one wants to admit to. But you have to. While addiction is a brain disease, it’s also a disease of lies and manipulation, a disease that hides and cowers.
Recovery, on the other hand, is a cure. It’s honest and forthcoming. It’s accountable and out in the open. Recovery will tell you like it is, even when it’s not the easiest thing to do.
Prepare
You’ll want to practice what you’re going to tell your friends before discussing your addiction with them.
Whether you’re getting ready to go into drug and alcohol addiction treatment or just got back from rehab, you need to let the people in your life know about your addiction and your intent to get clean. While you may think it’s easier just to let it come out naturally in conversation, chances are that’s not going to happen. Instead of leaving the discussion up to fate, prepare for it with these easy steps.
The Time and Place: Choosing the right time and place to talk to your friends about your addiction is important. You want a time when people aren’t rushed, tired, or distracted. You also want to be at a place with the issue can be discussed without interruption. So in the morning over the coffee pot at work isn’t right and neither is at the bar at happy hour.
Know What You Want to Say: Instead of winging it, jot down the points you want to make on a note card and bring it with you. Knowing what you want to say will make it easier to get the words out. It will help you keep on track and make sure you get everything said that you need to.
Practice: If you’re really nervous about talking to your friends about your addiction, practice the conversation with someone who already knows. This lets you say the words and realize that if your friends care about you, they’ll come to understand.
Just Say It: There’s no reason to beat around the bush. You’re an addict. Don’t justify it. Don’t minimize it. Just tell it like it is. Explain why you’re seeking help and how you know it’s the right thing to do.
Ask for Support: The one thing a recovering addict needs is support, so ask your friends for it. Explain what you mean when you say support, and explain the support systems you already have in place.
Expect Resistance: Although many would say the people who don’t support your recovery aren’t your friends, when you first inform someone about your addiction and treatment, you may experience some resistance. Nobody likes change, and your friends may be worried about how you’ll change or if you’ll expect them to stop drinking/smoking/using.
Stay Calm: Chances are, your friends already know you’re an addict. Or at least they suspect it. Don’t worry too much about what they’ll say or do. What matters is what you do and how you react. Remember what’s within your control and do your best to remain calm.
Your commitment to sobriety is the most important commitment that you will ever make in your life. It’s like a marriage between yourself and your life and once you find a way to become sober, maintaining your sobriety is of utmost importance. Here are some tips for staying committed to yourself and remaining sober. What’s….
When you relapse, it feels devastating. You feel like a failure, like you’ve let everybody down. Your parents. Your children. Your friends. Family. Coworkers. AA members. You’ve always known you’re a failure and now you’ve proved it to everyone. STOP. That’s your addiction talking. Trying to woe you back into its grasp. You relapsed. So….
It can be a rather delicate area when it comes to whether or not a person should consider dating during rehab. While there are several schools of thought on the subject, it is important to remember that your time in rehab, first and foremost, should be spent focused on your recovery. If you are looking….
When a person decides to stop drinking alcohol after forming a dependency to it, they will go through withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms can be painful and dangerous, which is why most people need help detoxing from alcohol. Common symptoms that people experience when they detox from alcohol include vomiting, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, depression, uncontrollable….
Each rehabilitation center should be accredited by at least one agency and should have a remark by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. These agencies make sure that the rehab facilities perform and render the basic standards of care. When you are seeking at treatment program it is extremely important that the facility you choose is….
Most rehab centers use a combination of individual and group therapy to provide an effective approach to addiction treatment. With group therapy being the foundation for most recovery models, one may wonder what it is that makes this type of therapy so important in all types of addiction treatment. While therapy can be helpful for….
The involvement of loved ones in addiction treatment is one of the best possible factors when it comes to a person’s recovery. “Involvement of a family member or significant other in an individual’s treatment program can strengthen and extend treatment benefits,” keep the individual in the program longer, and provide them with the kind of….
Many who are addicted to drugs tend to be functioning addicts who still hold a job and work each day. Far more are actually out of work and have lost sight of the importance of holding a day to day career. Regardless of whether you continue to work while you are addicted to drugs or….
Nearly every medicine cabinet in the US has some type of painkillers in it and some people even carry doses of painkillers with them in their pockets, bags or purses. Though millions of people take painkillers responsibly and do not suffer from addiction, millions of others have fallen victim to the physical and psychological strongholds….
When you start drug and alcohol treatment, it can feel overwhelming. You may be at a rehab center, surrounded by people you don’t know, telling you things you don’t care about. While you want to get sober, you may feel lost and like you’re never really going to get it. Instead of getting down on….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.