Addiction Help Center

Online Shopping Addiction

For many people, shopping is a relatively normal activity of daily life that you give little thought to. For others, however, shopping takes on an entirely different meaning. It can become as destructive as any other addiction type and result in a financial nightmare for the shopper and family alike. This is referred to as shopping addiction or compulsive shopping.

The Internet, quite similar to shopping, is a relatively normal activity in most people’s daily life. However, the rise of the Internet has increased the ability for consumers to shop in more locations, shop for longer periods of time and purchase more items with ease.

The rise of e-commerce sites and online auction houses has made spending money online not just commonplace but compulsive for many people. While shopping online, consumers can get caught up in the illusion that they are not really spending money. Your credit card gets debited, and that removes the mechanics of shopping. It feels good for a moment, but because it’s a temporary state, you do it again and again.

There has been an increase in U.S. online spending — from $7.8 billion in 1998 to an estimated $14.9 billion in 1999, according to Jupiter Communications. Approximately 11 million people (6 per cent of Internet users) suffer from some form of Web addiction, according to the American Psychological Association. The implications of using this statistical information are that there is a dramatic increase in compulsive behaviours associated with the Internet, including compulsive shopping behaviours.

Reasons for Online Shopping Addiction

Online shopping is addictive for the same reasons offline shopping does: a person gets a quick thrill from the acquisition and fails to make a connection to an actual impact on the wallet.

”On the Internet, it’s not real money,” says Maressa Hecht Orzack, founder of the Computer Addiction Service at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard University. ”If you get carried away, you can be in lots of trouble.”

Worse, because people don’t cap their online experience by leaving with clothes or CDs or books, they find they need to make a larger number of buys to reach that shopping high.

Online auctions are even more addictive, their lure lying in the excitement of bidding, strategizing, and one hopes, ultimately outbidding others. It becomes less about the item and more about the competition.

The sheer variety of items offers further temptations — a person can head to eBay to pick up some old books and end up bidding on videos, antique dolls and duct tape. There’s also the cosy feeling of community bonding in related chat rooms devoted to china dolls or Star Trek merchandise. The auction experience even becomes a confidence booster for some patients who admit they just like reading compliments posted under their user profile.

Also, there is a growing availability of Internet access in homes, at work and in even retail locations. With the growing access to this tool of shopping, the impulse to shop whenever or wherever a person may be is greater. The impulse or trigger of this addiction is right at your fingertips most of the day making it harder to find other ways to avoid this addictive behaviour.

Signs of Online Shopping Addiction

So what’s the difference between the occasional online splurge and the indication of a real problem? The signs of online shopping addiction are similar to those of other compulsive disorders:

Addicts neglect jobs or families.
When they’re not online shopping, they’re often thinking about it.
They overspend and regularly buy things they don’t need just to get the buzz.
They lie about their purchases.
They rack up major bills.

Shopping Addiction Help

It is important to realize that like any other addiction, genuine compulsive online shopping is a disease. Treatment focuses on the management of the behaviour, which can be difficult when so many people use computers and the Internet in their everyday work. It helps to:

Identify what the triggers are
Identify what makes a person want to spend online, whether it’s boredom, nervousness, or habit
Setting time and spending limits
Clear your credit card numbers and customer information from online shopping accounts so that spending isn’t too easy

If you or someone …

How Internet Addiction Affects Your Brain

No Comments

| Internet Addiction

Computers and the Internet have become essential tools in the modern business world. People rely on the Internet for just about everything including the following:

Work
Communication
Medical advice
Music
Shopping
Homework

People may jokingly claim to have an addiction to the Internet, but recent research suggests that Internet addiction is a very real issue with serious consequences. Since there can be no physical dependency on the Internet like there is with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, researchers have labeled Internet addiction as Internet addiction disorder (IAD). The disorder covers a number of impulse-control issues including the following:

Cybersex addiction: Compulsive use of Internet pornography sites.
Cyber-relationship addiction: Addiction to virtual relationships. People become obsessed with online friends and prefer their virtual reality to real-life relationships.
Net compulsions: Compulsive use of online gaming or online auction or bidding sites resulting in real-life financial troubles.
Information overload: Obsessive web surfing or database browsing. People feel they must get on the Internet constantly throughout the day, and this interferes with their productivity and real-life responsibilities.
Computer addiction: Fixated time spent on the computer. Many “computer geeks” fall into this category with acts of obsessive computer programming or gaming.

How Do I Know if I Am Addicted to the Internet?

How can Internet users determine whether their Internet use has crossed over to addiction? The following symptoms can provide a non-professional diagnosis for IAD:

Losing track of time while online
Responsibilities and tasks fall behind because of time spent online
Isolation or distance from friends and family
Noticeable guilt or defensiveness about how much time you spend online or what activities you engage in
Using the Internet to improve your mood or finding pleasure, relief, or sexual gratification from time spent online
Failed attempts at cutting back on internet use
Physical symptoms such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, headaches, back or neck aches, unexplained weight gain or loss, dry eyes, strained images, and sleep disturbances

What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Internet Addiction?

IAD is problematic because the disorder can interfere with one’s real-life responsibilities and relationships. IAD can also affect a person’s health. Internet addiction alters the volume of the brain. The brain changes are similar to those produced by alcohol and cocaine addiction. IAD shrinks the brain’s gray and white matter fibers which result in changes to emotional processing and brain functioning. The brain will continue to negatively transform, as long as the addiction continues. Risk Factors for Internet Addiction Disorder Specific risk factors for IAD include the following:

Suffering from anxiety, depression, or other mental health or mood disorders
Feeling lonely
Not having enough social interaction or support
Already struggling with other addictions (gambling, alcohol, drug, sex)
A change that limits social activity or mobility such as moving, job loss, disability or having a baby
High levels of stress

Finding Help for Internet Addiction

If you are concerned that your Internet use has developed into a more serious condition, please call our toll-free helpline. Our highly trained addiction counselors can talk to you about possible treatment options for your disorder. We are here 24 hours a day to provide you with information and answer your questions about Internet addiction disorder and methods for treatment. Pick up the phone, and find help from the experts in addiction treatment today.…

What’s Driving Your Work Addiction?

No Comments

| Work Addiction

People may make offhand or joking comments that their husband, wife, or other relative is a workaholic. However, there are people who are truly addicted to work. Work addiction is considered a process addiction, and process addictions are closely related to other forms of addiction. A work addiction may also be related to an anxiety problem like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Recognizing the signs of work addiction is fairly easy, but encouraging someone who can’t stop working to seek out professional help is often more of a challenge.

The Signs of Work Addiction

There is a difference between someone who is a hard or dedicated worker and someone who is truly addicted to work. The following are just a few of the signs of work addiction:

Lying about past accomplishments in the workplace
Feeling a large amount of anxiety about work even when at home or on vacation
Feeling reluctance to leave the office at the end of the day and extreme reluctance to take a vacation
Feeling depressed and isolated yet refusing to break away from work
Being quick to anger or other aggressive behaviors when things do not run smoothly at work
Opting to spend time at work or doing work-related tasks versus spending time with friends and family members
Struggling with sleep disorders that include insomnia
Spending time away from work causes significant distress

Effective work addiction treatment does more than encourage individuals to spend time away from the office, put their phones down, and close their laptops. It helps them get to the bottom of the work addiction and find out why work has become such an all-consuming part of life.

The Driving Force behind Work Addiction

The reasons behind a work addiction vary, but the following are some potential reasons this addiction begins and continues:

Low self-esteem and the constant need to prove yourself can result in an inability to stop working
The avoidance of difficult home life can lead individuals to spend more time in an environment in which they feel safe, secure, needed, or in control
Perfectionism can cause a person to seek out perfection in everything that they do in the workplace
Deeper anxiety issues that may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder may find an outlet or focus through work
A tendency toward addictive behavior may be present
A person may use work addiction as a substitute for another addiction

Getting Professional Work Addiction Help

If you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction to work, call our work addiction helpline. When it comes to experiencing addictive behaviors, addiction to the job, or a combined addiction to drugs and alcohol, it is important to remember that addictions rarely go away on their own. Seeking out quality work addiction help is the best method of understanding the driving force behind the addiction and receiving professional help for the addiction and your underlying issues. Call our toll-free helpline today. We can confidentially discuss your situation with you and help you find the best workable solution for your needs. Don’t delay getting professional help and regaining a sense of work-life balance.…

Teens and Internet Addiction

No Comments

| Internet Addiction

Most teenagers today have never lived in a world without the internet. They are often more tech-savvy than adults and they embrace each new technology that develops. This interest in the internet and technology can evolve into an obsession. Teenagers are known for extremes in moods and behaviors, but extreme internet use can cause the everyday living to take a back seat to online time.

Signs and Symptoms of Internet Addiction in Adolescents

The following symptoms might indicate that your teenager has an internet addiction:

Internet use seems more important than time with friends or hobbies that were previously enjoyed
Internet use has affected teenager’s grades in school
Loss of sleep due to internet use
Meeting strangers or unsafe people online
Unhealthy eating patterns, or high intake of caffeine to stay awake
Making many friends who he or she has never actually met in person
Experiencing anxiety when away from the internet
Neglect of appearance or hygiene
Missing money or increased online spending for websites, games, and other internet purchases

Why Do Teens Become Addicted to the Internet?

Every teen is different, just as every internet addiction is different. Some of the reasons your teen cannot break away from the computer may include:

Anxiety over life, school, achievements, and relationships may make the internet seem more appealing
Teenagers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may discover that the internet can hold their attention
The internet can be an escape from the hormones and emotions of adolescence
The teenager may feel that he or she can have a different identity online
The teenager may suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, other anxiety disorders, or depression

How is Internet Addiction Treated?

The most effective treatment for internet addiction is to remove the internet from the teenager’s life. Inpatient treatment removes the teenager from both the internet and the surroundings that allowed the addiction. Inpatient treatment is a form of intensive therapy that allows the teenager to spend an extended amount of time at an overnight facility. Inpatient facilities for internet addiction will provide:

Medical care
Nutritious meals
Counseling
Group therapy
Daily activities
Education

Inpatient treatment is often as comfortable as a hotel stay and provides an opportunity to break the cycle of internet addiction.

Need Help Finding Internet Addiction Treatment for Teenagers?

Are you or your teenager addicted to the internet? Our toll-free number is available 24 hours a day to provide you with more information about internet addiction and treatment programs. You owe it to yourself and your family to learn more about your options.…

How Can Digital Drug Use Lead to Addiction?

No Comments

| Special Topics

It seems that everything has gone digital since the technology revolution, including drug use. While the term may sound like it refers to the selling or purchasing of drugs via the internet, digital drug use has a much different meaning.

Digital drugs are actually sounded or, more specifically, binaural beats that are thought to change brain wave patterns, producing effects similar to drugs and inducing an altered state of consciousness. How a sound can act like a drug on the human brain requires a little background information.

How Do Digital Drugs Work?

Binaural beats occur when two tones with minimal difference in frequency are played simultaneously. Without the use of headphones, a person will pick up both tones, but the slight difference in frequency is perceived as a single sound overall; however, when binaural beats are heard through headphones, an individual can clearly hear the difference, and the brain processes the sounds like two separate beats. The brain naturally processes rhythmic sounds as electrical impulses or brain waves and the idea behind digital drugs is to control these brain waves by synchronizing them with designated binaural beats. This concept is similar to the action of many medications and therapies, such as biofeedback.

Digital drugs are most commonly sold online, with multiple tracks mimicking the effects of a certain drug. There are digital drugs versions of nearly every recreational, prescription, and designer drug available from Ambien to Ecstasy.

Can Digital Drugs Get You High?

The science behind digital drug use reflects that individuals can achieve the intended effects. Some consider digital drugs to be beneficial as they can help individuals with sleep difficulties, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and more. However, the drugs can also mimic the effects of more powerful, dangerous drugs such as cocaine, peyote, heroin, opium, ecstasy, and more. The side effects of these illicit, recreational drugs are harmful no matter how they are achieved, in substance or in sound.

How Can Digital Drug Use Lead to Addiction?

Are Digital Drugs Addictive?

Since digital drugs are relatively new, more time is needed to determine the exact harm and consequences these drugs pose. As for now, digital drugs show no evidence of chemical harm or chemical dependency potential. Digital drugs are addictive in a psychological sense, which many consider being more difficult to break than a physical addiction. When individuals rely on drugs or substances to deal with or cope with issues, the substance or even behavior can become harmful. Addiction is defined as a compulsive behavior despite the harm it is causing.

If an individual begins to make poor life choices in order to continue using digital drugs or continues using digital drugs despite harmful effects while under the influence, they may need help for an addiction. Furthermore, individuals who start using digital drugs can enjoy the effect so much that they are led to begin using the actual substance form of the drug which can cause both a physical and psychological addiction.

Looking for Drug Addiction Help?

If you or someone you care about is dealing with drug abuse or addiction, we can help you find the treatment and recovery services that will work for you. Call our toll-free helpline today to speak with a trained addiction counselor who can assist you with your questions, concerns, and needed information. Addiction counselors can help find and connect you with the treatment and recovery help that is right for you and your unique needs. Life is too short to waste on addiction. If you’re looking for help, call and speak with a counselor today. We’re ready to help, however we can.…

How Does Euphoric Recall Contribute to Relapse?

No Comments

| Relapse

Addiction is both a physical and psychological disease. While many people mistakenly believe that the physical aspect of the disease is more powerful, it is actually the psychological side of addiction that causes more relapses. Learning how the addicted brain works can empower a recovering addict to avoid relapse.

How Psychological Addiction Works

The euphoric high felt during drug or alcohol abuse directly affects an area of the brain called the pleasure or reward center. This is the same part of the brain that manages a variety of important psychological functions such as the following:

Emotional response
Anxiety management
Coping with stress
Reinforcing behaviors (forming habits)
The ability to resist impulses
The formation and recollection of memories

Drugs and alcohol provide real, albeit temporary, relief of emotional pain or distress in this part of the brain. When the substance wears off and the underlying psychological disorder begins to take over, the brain will use every psychological tool at its disposal to get those chemicals again. One of the most problematic of these symptoms – especially after months of recovery – is a phenomenon called euphoric recall.

How Euphoric Recall Works

Because the formation and recollection of memories are managed in this same area, the brain may choose only to bring to mind the fun times or highlights of past drug use. The user will not remember the pain, sickness, destruction, disappointment, or trapped feelings of addiction – only the good times. This can lead a person to romanticize their previous substance abuse and spend too much time thinking back on it longingly. This type of distorted memory can also lead people to feel overconfident in their ability to resist relapse, which may cause them to place themselves in high-risk environments. A recovering alcoholic, when walking past a bar, may think back to some fun times and then tell himself that he can handle the temptation to drink now. He goes into the bar where the positive memories collide with his weakened state of alertness; before he knows it, he has relapsed.

How to Stop Euphoric Recall

While you cannot stop euphoric recall, one of the most powerful tools to overcome it is through relational accountability. Make sure you have a friend or sponsor who you have especially empowered to hold you accountable for your time, words, money, and actions. Another person can provide the accurate perspective that euphoric recall destroys. You may start to become nostalgic for your party days, but a good accountability partner will remind you of the broken relationships, the misery of withdrawal, and the positive aspects of being clean and sober. Journaling can also be extremely helpful – especially as it relates to identifying faulty or incomplete memories and filling in those gaps during weak moments. In time you can train your mind to remember all aspects of the disease of addiction, not just the distorted ones.

Help Dealing with Euphoric Recall

If you are struggling with euphoric recall, call our 24 hours, toll-free helpline. Our specially trained addiction counselors can help you think about the cost of addiction and relapse, as well as the numerous benefits of a sober life. Call now and let us help connect you with resources to keep your recovery on track.…

Causes for Compulsive Shopping

No Comments

| Shopping Addiction

All addictions have the same basic symptoms. Obsession, compulsion, loss of control, and continued use in the face of negative consequences are all hallmarks of addiction. People can develop addictions to substances, behaviors or activities. Some of these behaviors or activities may be normal, everyday occurrences such as eating or shopping, which can make it much harder to determine if there is a problem with addiction.

There are several indicative behaviors that can identify a person as a shopping addict. Engaging in any “shopping binge” creates a feeling of euphoria or a “high” for the addicted individual. Addictions are two-pronged. On one end, the addiction is physical. The individual shops to get the rush of brain chemicals needed to feel high. On the other end, this type of addiction is psychological. The addict seeks to purchase items to help them cope with life, and intense anxiety is felt in the absence of their addictive activity. A shopping addict will engage in their addiction even when it’s become obvious that spending is against their own best interests.

As with all addictions, shopping becomes the person’s main way of coping with stress, to the point where they continue to shop excessively even when it is clearly having a negative impact on other areas of their life. As with other addictions, finances and relationships are damaged, yet the shopping addict feels unable to stop or even control their spending.

Reasons Behind Compulsive Shopping

Most causes for compulsive shopping are psychological. Generally, a person will be having emotions of loneliness, depression, feeling out of control in a particular area, and seeking to spend money in order to relieve the stress. Spending addiction is a symptom of flashing red-light warning sign that there are deep-rooted feelings one is trying to avoid facing. An addict indulges themselves in shopping to help numb those troubling feelings- for a while.

Some of the psychological conditions associated with compulsive shopping are:

Emotional deprivation in childhood
Inability to tolerate negative feelings, pain, loneliness, boredom, depression, fear, anger
Need to fill an inner void – empty and longing inside
Excitement seeking
Approval seeking
Perfectionism
Genuinely impulsive and compulsive
Need to gain control

To that end, some behaviors and emotions have been associated with as potential causes of shopping addiction, such as:

A reaction to disappointment, stress, anger, or fear by shopping
A feeling that one’s spending habits are out of control and are causing friction or conflict in one’s family, relationships
Feeling a sense of euphoria as well as anxiety while shopping
Experiencing a sense of getting away with something forbidden while shopping
Feeling severe guilt or remorse about having gone shopping, especially if it contradicts promises made to one’s self or a loved one
Buying things that are never or almost never used—in other words, buying for no reason other than to spend
Lying about one’s extensive shopping habits to friends and family
A preoccupation with credit cards and finances is built around how much one has spent, how much one will have to spend on shopping, and creative juggling of various accounts to make shopping possible.

Compulsive spending is sometimes hard to determine because almost everyone shops to some degree, but only about 6 percent of the U.S. population is thought to have these compulsive addictions. It thus should be noted that there are negative behaviors and reactions associated with shopping that lead to feelings of distress but that do not constitute a shopping addiction, compulsion, or disorder such as buyer’s remorse. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has regarded behavioral disorders like shopping addiction to be reasonable disorders because they have common conditions with other compulsive behaviors that do not feature a stimulus one puts into their body (i.e. drugs, alcohol, tobacco). These are A sense of arousal before going shopping followed by pleasure or gratification while shopping and a loss of arousal as well as experiencing feelings of remorse after shopping.

Shopping Addiction Treatment

Those suffering from a compulsive buying disorder can seek shopping addiction treatment from a treatment center, therapist, or psychologist despite the lack of a quantified, well-defined diagnosis since the underlying issues are indeed psychological.

Some …

Overdose and Brain Damage

No Comments

| Overdose

An overdose occurs when the body is overwhelmed by a toxic amount of a drug(s). A toxic amount is difficult to measure because each person’s individual reaction to drugs can vary significantly. It is really only when the damage is done and a person overdoses that the toxic amount is determined.

Overdose Statistics

According to research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) overdose statistics include the following:

Approximately 27,500 people died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2007
In 20 states in 2007, the number of unintentional drug poisoning deaths exceeded either motor vehicle crashes or suicides, two of the leading causes of injury death
Opioid pain medications were involved in about 36 percent of all poisoning suicides in the United States in 2997

While these statistics are from 2007, the number of prescription drugs has only increased since that time.

Overdose Characteristics Based on Types of Drugs

With depressants such as heroin, the body’s central nervous system causes breathing to slow down, a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate, which cumulatively reduces the body’s temperature. This can lead to respiratory arrest where the lack of oxygen to the brain causes loss of consciousness, coma, or death. With stimulants, such as cocaine, the central nervous system accelerates breathing, which increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. These variables can contribute to a seizure, stroke, heart attack, or death.

Overdose and Brain Damage

The foremost concern about a drug overdose is that the brain does not get enough oxygen. The lack of oxygen may be due to a drug-induced blockage of the airway, or the lack of oxygen due to heart fibrillation which restricts the flow of oxygen. Whatever causes the lack of oxygen, it only takes three to five minutes without oxygen to do permanent damage to the brain.

With the lack of oxygen, the part of the brain that controls memory is impacted first. The longer the brain goes without oxygen, the ability to read or speak is affected next. Continued deprivation leads to retardation and eventually can lead to death.

Overdose Risks

The factors that increase a person’s risk for overdose include the following:

Tolerance – a person’s height, weight, the strength of the immune system, age, and duration of drug usage all impact tolerance level
Poly-substance abuse – combining stimulants with stimulants exacerbates the impacts of the drugs
Quality – the content and purity of street drugs is an unknown, so every time you use a street drug you have no idea how your body will react
Being alone – a person using drugs alone is at greater risk as no one can intervene

When people combine any of these individual risk factors, they only increase the risk of an overdose.

Help after an Overdose

You may have just witnessed or experienced one of the most frightening experiences possible, and we want to help you find a treatment that you need. Call us anytime, 24 hours a day, and we can help you understand your options so you can take control of your life.…

Signs and Symptoms of Self-injury

No Comments

| Self Harm

Patients who self-injure can be as young as 12-years-old and can continue well into adulthood. More and more, kids are learning about the means and methods of how to induce self-injury to help control their emotional pain. Cutting, for instance, is the most common because it can be easily covered up.

It’s more common among girls to have these types of addictions but has been seen as boys as well. Children who self-injure will often battle with an eating disorder as well. They might also have a history of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse or it may be a sign of low self-esteem. It begins as a defense of what is going on in their personal lives and within their family. They may feel they have failed in one area of their lives and are looking for a way of taking back control.

Self-injury as a Sign for other Issues

Self-mutilation is a severe impulse control disorder that can often be associated with other psychiatric disorders. These include:

Borderline personality disorder
Depression
Substance abuse (alcoholism or drug abuse)
Eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia)
Psychosis
Antisocial personality disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder

On the other hand, there are “regular kids” going through the adolescent struggle for self-identity, and using self-injury is a form of experimentation, similar to alcohol or drugs that are also common around this age range.

Physical Signs and Symptoms of Self-injury

Because self-harm addiction is often kept secret, it may be difficult to spot signs and symptoms. Physical self-injury symptoms may include:

Scars, such as from burns or cuts
Staring at or playing with scars
Fresh cuts, scratches, or other wounds
Small, linear cuts. Sometimes words are also cut in the body
Bruises
Broken bones
Headbanging
Eye pressing
Finger or arm biting
Pulling out one’s hair
Picking at one’s skin
Claiming to have frequent accidents or mishaps
Unexplained cuts and scratches, particularly when they appear regularly. ‘The cat did it’ is a commonly used excuse

Situational Signs and Symptoms of Self-injury

Aside from physical examples that are indicative of self-injury, there are circumstantial evidence that loved ones can be suspicious of. These warning signs that an individual might be engaging in self-injury include:

Wearing pants and long sleeves in warm weather
The appearance of lighters, razors, or sharp objects that one would not expect among a person’s belongings
Low self-esteem
Mood changes like depression or anxiety, out-of-control behavior
Promiscuity
Difficulty handling feelings
Relationship problems
Poor functioning at work, school, or home
Creating artwork that features a lot of black or red
May sit with a pillow covering their legs or quickly change sitting position when someone enters the room
A person may be withdrawn or wishes to be alone
The person may often hold ice to their skin
The person may draw on their arms with a red marker, food coloring, or paint (a sign that they are wanting help)
The person may wear a lot of bracelets or a rubber band on the wrist that they can snap whenever they need to (another sign of wanting to stop self-injury)

How to Begin Treatment

In order for healing to take place, the user must cease the form of self-injury and allow the feelings they are avoiding to surface. It is only then that they can begin a form of counseling and therapy to start processing those feelings. Self-mutilation treatment is most beneficial with one-to-one counseling, group therapy, and a daily program of recovery is implemented.

Self-injury Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-injury addiction, we can help. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on self-injury treatment and addiction.…

Overconfidence and Addiction Relapse

No Comments

| Uncategorized

Overconfidence is a dangerous characteristic to have during recovery, as it easily contributes to relapse. The emotions that come with this boisterous behavior can block other issues, making it difficult to treat their addictions. As this behavior continues, the likelihood of relapse grows stronger, which puts users at risk for relapse due to their own missteps.

Why Overconfidence Causes Relapse

Having an overconfident mindset will hinder any recovering user, as it will only work against him. Overconfidence can lead recovering addicts down a path where the end result is picking up right where they left off in addiction. Overconfidence encourages addiction relapse in any of the following ways:

A distorted self-image – A major part of recovery is regaining self-esteem and building a healthy level of confidence without going overboard. This allows users to see worth in themselves while they stay humbled by their experiences. Becoming overconfident can be just as detrimental as not starting treatment to begin with, as it makes users feel they can withstand the risk of continuing an addiction.
Irrational thoughts – Many users think they deserve certain rewards in conjunction with their success. This can include feeling like they deserve a swig of alcohol or any other form of use in the celebration of their sobriety. Irrationally, they can easily convince themselves that one drink or use isn’t going to hurt them, as they are now in control of their addictions. This encourages users to engage in risky practices because they think they can handle tempting situations, which often results in relapse.
Complacency – For users who have remained sober for a long period of time, they may believe their addictions were not as bad as they thought. They may feel that they have come so far in recovery that they can now control their use and still live normally. This mindset encourages people to use once more and ultimately end in a new addiction.

Overconfidence is a weakness in any area of life, as pride will always come before the fall. While developing a strong sense of confidence and a healthy amount of self-esteem, it is crucial for users to understand that addiction never goes away. Regardless of how long sobriety has lasted or how well recovering addicts have done, addiction can always creep up again. Maintaining sobriety is a life-long process that does not have any room for overconfidence.

Help with Relapse or Preventing

Call our toll-free, 24-hour helpline right now to get the support you need to beat relapse. Life is too short to go back to addiction. Call us today and safeguard your recovery.…