I've recently run across a lot of information on addiction recovery and relapse prevention and I find myself wondering how anyone really knows what to do when they are trying to get away from drugs.
There is so much information out there and it is all different.
Some people believe addiction is a disease, others believe it's easily overcome and still others think it's impossible.
I'm here to tell you my own personal opinion of addiction recovery and relapse prevention; not from a professionals point of view but from the point of view of someone who has gone completely off the deep end of addiction and has come out the other end a better person; a stronger person; and no longer an addict.
Addiction is NOT a disease.
No matter what way you look at addiction; there is no possibility of it being a disease.
Yes, there may be chemical imbalances in the brain that may cause us to have a tendency to be more prone to addiction; but this is not disease.
Chemical imbalances in the brain do not cause cancer, diabetes, ALS or ulcerative colitis.
These diseases are also not the personal choice of the person who has them.
No one chooses to get cancer.
No one chooses to get ALS.
This is just ridiculous to suggest that they would want these diseases.
They go through their lives hoping to live the best life that they can and one day the doctor tells them they have a disease.
This is not something that they saw coming.
Addiction can be seen coming from a mile away.
The first time someone snorts a line of cocaine you can almost guarantee that they know the potential risks.
I know that I did.
I knew it was possible I could become addicted.
I was aware.
And yet I CHOSE to snort it anyway.
This is my argument that addiction cannot be a disease if we choose to ignore the consequences.
Every action we take in our lives is a choice; and by trying to say that addiction is a disease we are removing the responsibility that we need to take for our own actions.
The only way that an addict can overcome their addiction and move forward in life is to come to terms with the choices that he or she made in life.
I chose to snort cocaine for three years.
Then, eventually, I came to terms with the choices I had made and I then made a choice to stop.
I will fully admit that it wasn't easy to quit.
Any habit is hard to change.
However, I wanted to stop badly enough that I made it happen.
Everyday I made a choice NOT to do drugs.
And yes, occasionally I slipped and made a mistake (which we all do).
But on the journey toward relapse prevention; this is what happens.
Addiction is NOT a disease.
Addiction is a choice.
And every addict out there can make the choice to no longer be an addict.
Period.
I share more of these tips in my new book, Bullshit 2 Bliss and tell of my own personal journey of addiction recovery and relapse prevention.