A Quick Glance on What Life Is Like after Addiction
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If you’re in withdrawal pain and terribly anxious, feeling like there’s no way out, read on and take a glimpse on the life after addiction as told by former addicts who recovered from addiction.
The road to recovery is not easy but these former addicts confirm that life after substance abuse is definitely possible.
Reclaiming self-esteem after depression and isolation
“I was very depressed and very isolated for a long time…I started taking more and more Xanax. I tried substituting Xanax with alcohol…but the next day I would still fall for Xanax. When I got here (at Hawaii Island Recovery) I got lots of issues to work on”, Shannon, a former Xanax addict said in an interview.
Life After Addiction
Shannon said that after the four therapies at HIR, especially the dolphin therapy she finally got out of Xanax. “If there’s anything thing about my life that’s changed that was very important aside from getting off Xanax is my self-esteem. My self-esteem has changed immensely so I feel like I can go out into the world to be myself and put my head up and be confident.
Self-esteem is how you look at your own worth. It’s how you judge yourself as well as your attitude towards self. A person with low self-esteem or self-regard becomes easily depressed, and tolerates abusive relationships and situations.
A person has low self-esteem if he always blames himself, criticizes himself and constantly tries to put others down by making them feel guilty, blaming them, and fault finding. A lot of drug addicts have low self-esteem before they become drug addicts and it worsens during addiction because they can’t control drug use and its effects in their lives.
You can reclaim your self-esteem after quitting drugs. The HIR therapists encourage daily affirmations. Some would look in the mirror and say you are worth loving. Others put sticky notes on the mirror that contains affirmations like accepting and loving yourself for who you are.
You have to forgive yourself for what your addiction has done to your body, relationships and career so you can accept and improve yourself. There are also therapies at HIR that help in the healing of your painful memories and get you back on track.
Getting your life back and being happy after losing everything to drugs
A lawyer-client of HIR says, “I was a cocaine addict and alcoholic. I was and I am a practicing attorney. I had not only the addiction going, but with the law practice and a family and a very successful business. For twenty years I stayed that way but the addiction caught up”. He says that after going through HIR treatment program, he recovered and now works at the HIR.
“Those of us that have been there known it takes quite a leap of faith to trust someone to help you but that’s what we’re here for. We can give you a chance to get your life back to regenerate mind body and soul to the point where you’re happy”, he ends. Watch his interview here:
When you finally kicked off drugs, you have a good chance of becoming emotionally stable because you can be happy without using drugs. The Drug addicts’ ultimate and only source of happiness is the addictive drug of their choice and nothing else. They feel that they cannot live without it, and it’s the only obsession they have.
After addiction, drug addicts often realize that there’s more to life than drugs. They can enjoy the company of others and focus on the things that they really want to do. They can go back to work or school, possibly rebuild a broken relationship and pursue their dreams.
From Anger and Pain to Calmness and Peace of Mind
“I dealt with addiction for 22 years of my life. I was broken, I was hopeless. I was an absolute mess. You know the behaviors, the thinking, that I was a programmed addict. Everything about me was about getting what I need, more than I needed it, no matter what I had to do, who I had to hurt. It was just about addiction. I was something else when I came here. I was angry, I would just get screaming. It was horrible. And they (HIR staff) showed me love and patience and they loved me through. Coming from that darkness, I feel like I’m seeing the benefits of doing the work, and staying clean and sober. And, the freedom that I feel today is what I was looking for in drugs and alcohol. But this freedom is better; it’s a peace of mind, a calmness that I’ve never experienced in my life” says Bria, a former drug addict who’s now working as a residential manager of Hawaii Island Recovery.
For many individuals with drug addiction, the hardest step toward recovery is making the decision to change. A lot of drug addicts want to stop using because it’s causing problems in their lives but their cravings for drugs is too strong. So, while Briana wanted to numb her memories so she won’t recall her painful past, she also realized how her life was falling apart as she continuously used drugs. So, she decided to enter a treatment center with staff that never gave up on her until she achieved sobriety.
When does addiction end?
A person does not recover from addiction by simply stopping using. Recovery starts when he living a new life without drugs. If you don’t change your lifestyle, then all the things that lead to your drug abuse may catch up with you sooner or later. A good treatment center can help you change a few things and behaviors that have been causing you to use it. Until you learn to let go of your old behaviors, they will continue to lead you back to drug abuse.
Hawaii Island Recovery not only helps you recover from the physical effects of addiction; our treatment programs also enable you to see life in a different perspective. You will learn to appreciate yourself more and to live a life of freedom from addictive substances.
Call us today at (866) 491-8009 to learn how we can help you overcome addiction for good!