How Does Addiction Separate Us from Our Loved Ones?
We know that addiction is a debilitating illness that takes us away from ourselves and robs us of our goals, our life purpose, and our identity. Addiction can also separate us from our loved ones, causing intense emotional pain for everyone involved. Addiction keeps us shrouded in a cloud of shame, disappointment, regret and embarrassment. Because of this, we often will isolate ourselves out of fear that we’ll be judged and rejected, even by the people who love us most. We may have grown up in families that were particularly critical of addiction and as such, we don’t want them to know just how much we’re struggling. We may come from families where addiction runs rampant, and we don’t want to disclose that we too have been affected. We often will separate ourselves from our loved ones because we don’t want to worry them. We think our silence will throw them off our trail. We avoid the truth as much as possible, but this means over time we’re avoiding the people we love as well, in an effort to protect ourselves and them from the painful reality of our addictions.
Sometimes we’re separated by our loved ones because of our unwillingness to get the help they so desperately want for us. They want to see us get better, and very often we’re just not there yet. We’re simply not ready. In the midst of a substance use disorder, we often isolate ourselves and remove ourselves from our relationships. The neurological disease of addiction forces the sufferer to sacrifice their own well-being, and anyone who stands in the way of that becomes an innocent bystander to the madness. We don’t realize that they have our best interest at heart. Often, we feel attacked and punished. We feel judged, shunned and ostracized, unable to confront the fact that our own actions are causing us to separate ourselves. It is often us who is pushing our loved ones away, rather than the other way around.
Our loved ones will often try to intervene on our behalf. They’ll try to set us up with a therapist or support group. They’ll try to convince us to go to rehab. Until we’re ready, however, all of their efforts to help us can be perceived as attempts to control us. We crave our independence, and when we’re still in the clutches of our addictions, we crave our drugs of choice and will separate ourselves from our loved ones if it means allowing our addictions to go undisturbed.
Addiction takes over our entire lives, and one of the most damaging ways it does this is by separating us from our loved ones. When we’re ready to do the work to recover, rebuilding our relationships is a critical part of our healing. Reconnecting with our loved ones can bring us joy, peace, fulfillment, and redemption. We can feel our connections helping us to heal.
Origins Behavioral Healthcare is a well-known care provider offering a range of treatment programs targeting the recovery from substance abuse, mental health issues, and beyond. Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration. We offer renowned clinical care for addiction and have the compassion and professional expertise to guide you toward lasting sobriety.
For information on our programs,
call us today: 561-841-1296
