Addiction is a disease of layers. You may have become addicted as you were experimenting with the best way to self-medicate against a particular condition. If the household you grew up in was damaged by addictions, your personality may have been more protective than free. If you started using in adolescence, you may not have a healthy adult brain that is fully developed and reliable. Can addiction treatment lead you to discover your true self?
Yes. Your true self has been there the whole time, but it may have been hidden away by the protective part of your brain that tells you that you’re not worthy. You may have been using to avoid the pain that your true self suffered early in life, or is currently suffering right now due to trauma.
Heal the Body, Restore the Brain, Rebuild the Spirit
Sadly, one of the best ways to protect yourself from the pain of disappointed hope is to expect life to be miserable and hard. Yes, this is efficient; no hope means no risk of disappointment. However, as a long-term solution to prevent pain, it stinks. If you’re currently managing the risk of pain with the obsession of addiction, it’s time to find a treatment program that offers a supervised medical detox.
Detox is dangerous. The pain of withdrawal often derails people from the first attempt at detox. As your body sheds more of the drugs or alcohol and you don’t refill the tank, you may suffer
- nausea
- diarrhea
- sweating
- pain
If you can’t eat or drink, you become calorie starved and dehydrated. Dehydration can be hard on your heart, your brain and your gut. Eventually, it can be fatal. No matter the drugs in your system, supervised detox is safest.
Once you’ve been through detox, you’re still dealing with a brain that is wired to crave. Many drugs create a dopamine rush; this rush generates a sense of euphoria. It can also limit what your dopamine receptors can absorb, meaning you need more drugs to get the same rush. Retraining your brain to generate dopamine via other triggers, such as exercise, laughter or meditation, will take time.
As your dopamine receptors come back online, underlying mental health issues that may have been masked by drug use may come to the surface. Again, quality treatment is critical. Counseling, including cognitive behavior therapy and family counseling, can make a huge difference in your ability to uncovering your real personality.
Bringing your body back into a state of health can also be done at a quality treatment program. Be prepared for a bit of intrusion; what you eat and drink will be monitored, as will your output. Your brain, kidneys, gut and heart have all been battered by drug use. Rebuilding your confidence in the health of your body may require an exercise program as well as a carefully monitored diet.
As you begin moving through counseling, you may find that old memories and difficult feelings come to the fore. The folks who helped you to understand the world around you may have done deliberate damage, but often we learn that life is dangerous and to be feared from people who themselves were damaged. Finding a new normal will take care and counseling.
Your true self is in there. They may be content just to feel the sun on their face, or be a great painter, or be wired to teach others. The key to finding and embracing your true self is to learn to embrace who you are, where you are and to celebrate ways in which you can express those feelings without fear or worry. Be prepared to calm your subconscious. The subconscious actually formed very early and taught you what was to be feared, who was dangerous and how to guard yourself. This part of your personality was busy keeping you alive and your early years may have been tumultuous.
Be respectful of your subconscious. It may have had to learn some hard lessons with little information. Stop stressing about why you do what you do. Learn new ways of coping, expressing yourself and embracing the “oops!” events in life. Detox and treatment may be the toughest foundation you ever lay for your new life. However, this foundation will be a wonderful home for your true self. Our counselors are available 24 hours a day. Call 844-844-3463.