Great read Sam! A lot to unpack. I just want to thank you for being so open and honest about your experience. Congratulations of finding the internal motivation to fight the disease that is addiction. I think people forget that addiction is a disease, a very cruel one. Unhelpful comments like why don't they just quit or if they wanted to stop they would. I've read and listened to a lot of stories to understand that it's not that EASY.
I wholeheartedly agree that the reason for people turning to alcohol and drugs needs to be addressed. Scientists decided based on a rat study that it was the substance that was addictive. The rats kept drinking the heroin laced water instead of the regular water and they overdosed and died. They concluded well, heroin is addictive. BUT the more they study these behaviours there more it becomes obvious that it's the escapism that's addictive first, then the body gets addicted to the substance. You should be really proud for recognising the why, it's all well and good to go to rehab and get drug and alcohol counselling but it's trauma counselling that is needed the most.
(I just finished reading Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis, it was very insightful into addiction, relapse, trauma cycle)
Driving home today in 36 degree Perth heat, (the first/thirst real hot day this summer), I saw a billboard advertising what would of been my beer of choice in the fridge when I was drinking and it produced my first craving Ive had for a beer in a long long time. It surprised me....first that i got a craving and second how strong it was., crazy........Instead my wife and I went and did yoga (don't judge :-) ) then went for a swim in the ocean, all good craving gone. Thanks for the opportunity to write this down somewhere, that helps too, as someone once said, cheers Wankers!
Aren’t external factors the hard ones to control because they are usually outside our control? The inside ones we can at least do something about
Great read Sam! A lot to unpack. I just want to thank you for being so open and honest about your experience. Congratulations of finding the internal motivation to fight the disease that is addiction. I think people forget that addiction is a disease, a very cruel one. Unhelpful comments like why don't they just quit or if they wanted to stop they would. I've read and listened to a lot of stories to understand that it's not that EASY.
I wholeheartedly agree that the reason for people turning to alcohol and drugs needs to be addressed. Scientists decided based on a rat study that it was the substance that was addictive. The rats kept drinking the heroin laced water instead of the regular water and they overdosed and died. They concluded well, heroin is addictive. BUT the more they study these behaviours there more it becomes obvious that it's the escapism that's addictive first, then the body gets addicted to the substance. You should be really proud for recognising the why, it's all well and good to go to rehab and get drug and alcohol counselling but it's trauma counselling that is needed the most.
(I just finished reading Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis, it was very insightful into addiction, relapse, trauma cycle)
Driving home today in 36 degree Perth heat, (the first/thirst real hot day this summer), I saw a billboard advertising what would of been my beer of choice in the fridge when I was drinking and it produced my first craving Ive had for a beer in a long long time. It surprised me....first that i got a craving and second how strong it was., crazy........Instead my wife and I went and did yoga (don't judge :-) ) then went for a swim in the ocean, all good craving gone. Thanks for the opportunity to write this down somewhere, that helps too, as someone once said, cheers Wankers!