Are Addicts Bad People

No doubt, you've formed a certain concept of those with chemical dependency. For many people, the “drug addict” is someone who faces a lifelong condition of addiction. We see the “drug addict” portrayed on television cop dramas and even described as powerless by popular 12-step programs.

Rejecting the Label and Myth of the “Addict”

The truth is that no matter how dependent a person becomes on drugs or alcohol, dependency simply does not define them. Turning to warm milk to fall asleep at night may not cure your worried mind, and it may even create physical problems when used in excess, but you would never consider yourself a “milk addict.” Even use of addictive substances, such as caffeine, does not define a person. People still retain their identitiesand regardless of dependency, people remain the funny, unique, sweet people they always have been.

Dependency Is Not an Identity

In fact, chemical dependency simply means that people have not yet received the treatment they need for their underlying problems. Warm milk may be a coping mechanism to battle anxiety, and it may make you sleepy, but even sleep won't eliminate anxiety in the long run. Likewise, drug use will not solve the root issue at hand. Unfortunately, the recovery community has continue to label chemically dependent people as “addicts,” offering them little hope beyond the white-knuckle experience of learning to live with their “disease” of dependency.

A Realistic Profile of Chemically Dependent People

The truth is that chemically dependent people are decidedly not hopeless “junkies” or “addicts.” They are mothers, fathers, teachers, the kid next door home from college, policemen, firemen, mentors and volunteers. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of alcohol dependent people are “high-functioning,” juggling demanding careers and families just like the rest of us. A survey of nearly a million cocaine users showed that over 82 percent were employed, with 62 percent working at long-term, full-time jobs. Over two million educated college students each year have exhibited binge drinking behavior on a monthly basis, with nearly 25 percent meeting the AMA's definition of “alcoholism.”

Living to Your Full Potential Through Recovery

While under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the dependent person usually does not make the wisest decisions. When our bodies and minds become addled by foreign, harmful substances, few of us find real wisdom. However, by recognizing and confronting the past through a recovery program, dependent people can discover the root issues that have led them to use alcohol or drugs. This means finding freedom from the very need to escape through alcohol or drug dependency. That is the definition of real recoveryand real freedom to be the person you are, at your fullest potential.

Related posts:

1. Explosive Anger and Chemical Dependency
2. What Are Addictive Personalities
3. Criminal Activity and Drug Addiction
4. Rejection as a Root of Dependency
5. How to Tell If You Have a Chemical Dependency
6. Will You Always Be an Alcoholic
7. The Dependency – Anxiety Cycle
8. Moving Beyond Friends Who Trigger You
9. Obscuring Emotional Pain With Dependency
10. Advantages to Inpatient Recovery Programs
11. Cocaine Addiction and Aggression
12. Separating Addiction From Identity
13. Can Dependency Be Cured
14. Finding Hope After Relapse
15. Chemical Dependency and Mood Shifts
16. Why One Drink Can Endanger Recovery
17. Understanding the Reasons for Withdrawal
18. Heroins Strong Addictive Pull
19. Self-limiting and Critical Thoughts
20. Is Alcoholism a Disease