Addiction is not a great inducement to honesty. Substance abuse, rather, tends to encourage secrecy, subterfuge and larceny. The addict conceals things from those around them, sometimes even seeking to lie to themselves in order to downplay the severity of their addiction and their control, or rather lack thereof, over their substance abuse problem.
The best way to push through addiction and begin the journey to recovery, however, is by communicating effectively: by engaging in honest conversations in the face of addiction, the light of truth can begin to banish the secrets of addiction.
Addiction tends to thrive in secrecy. Most forms of addiction tend to begin in private and are practiced away from the eyes of friends and loved ones. An alcoholic might do much of their drinking in a public space, such as a bar or restaurant, though they’re just as likely to be doing much of their heaviest drinking at home behind closed doors. But many of the hard drugs, being illegal, are used out of the public way, and therefore are kept to some degree secret.
And the addict knows what people think of addiction and everything surrounding substance abuse. They know that if they were upfront about what they were doing and how it affected them, people would disapprove, so they keep it on the down low, telling no one except others with the same addictions.
This continual practice of deception makes it easier for the addict to being to excuse other fauts, thefts and betrayals, further entrenching themselves in the devastating consequences of substance abuse.
The only way through is via honesty. The addict must not only come clean with others, but with themselves, about what addiction is doing to them and acknowledge their need for help.
It can, in fact, take multiple honest conversations to truly begin getting to the root of the problem and pushing the addict to take the next step to seeking treatment.
Once an addict’s loved ones realize the depth of the addiction the addict faces, they must talk to him about it. It may mean a series of heartfelt conversations. It might mean a big confrontation. It might require a full intervention, with multiple people confronting the addict at once and asking them to get help.
The addict might try to shrug these overtures off. Don’t let them. Only by communicating effectively can you get the addict to realize their need for help and to seek treatment. You need honesty and truth on your side and with them you can overcome arguments in the end and get your loved one to seek help.
At Good Landing Recovery, honesty and effective communication are emphasized to not only get the addict to seek treatment, but also to help overcome obstacles in recovery, as well. With their help, the recovering addict can push past cravings and avoid relapse with the truth on their side.