Addiction is no respecter of persons. It doesn’t pick and choose its victims, it wreaks havoc on every life it afflicts. Unfortunately, all too often the wreckage looks like relationships, old and new, close and distant, lost to those moments of brief distraction, those too-short moments when you reached and postured for something a little less painful, a little less anxious. You drank or you got high because you needed to feel less or different. Nothing good can come from avoiding problems; there is always a cost to addiction.
Losing important people due to addiction can make life feel unbearable. It can start a huge downward spiral for any addict. Even after treatment the pain can be great. But in rehab you learned that you can always find hope. So here are a couple of ways you can remind yourself that this too shall pass, that your heart will keep beating, that you will not be alone.
- One important thing to remember when any relationship ends is that often two friends, lovers, acquaintances walking away from each other is the result of incompatibility. Perhaps the timing of their relationships isn’t right. Maybe two friends just don’t agree anymore or find the same things interesting. While it is possible your relationship ended because of your addiction, make sure to not spiral down a self hatred spiral. Take a genuine look at the situation.
- If the relationship is ending because of your addiction then take a deep breath. Now take another close look at the situation. You’ll need to have some support for this step if the relationship that has been severed was something that felt foundational to your life. A therapist is a great person to process this with.
- As impossible as it feels to worth through losing someone important to you because of your alcohol or drug abuse, know this: With a sober life comes many happy and healthy relationships. You can rebuild your support network. The fact is that you need a group of people around you who are resilient in just the right ways, so that they can support you as you work toward recovery. If someone can’t do that because of whatever they are dealing with personally, well then it is the right choice for both of you to focus your attention on relationships that work better for you.
If you or someone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol you may already know some of the ways it can affect the whole life of the addicted person, deteriorating sometimes, the most important relationships. If you are suffering from addiction, and are seeking out addiction recovery in Florida, call us now at (833) 596-3502 to learn more about our intensive inpatient treatment or outpatient detox center in South Florida. We are dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our patients. We can help you learn the skills to build and maintain happy and healthy relationships, and help you heal from those that have broken. Let us guide you to the path of sober living.