The decision to finally get help is a choice that each
person needs to make for themselves. And it's often a process to get there. It
may be a slow development to finally be able to decide, "Okay, it's time
to get sober."
But even at this point, there might be obstacles that get in
the way. Whether a person is able to break through those obstacles sometimes
depends upon how badly they want sobriety. When it comes down to it, when an
individual knows that he or she needs assistance, getting treatment and
committing oneself to sobriety is the only thing that is going to end an
addiction.
Because there will be many obstacles that a person faces,
including:
·
stigma
·
denial
·
fear of legal consequences
·
shame
·
desire to keep using
·
not being able to afford treatment
·
not having the time to participate in treatment
And this list provides only a few examples of the many obstacles
that can stand in the way of treatment. Yet, when a person recognizes that they
want to get sober - not so much for sobriety's sake, but for a number of other
reasons - they might do whatever it takes. They might eventually seek treatment
because they realize that they themselves don't have the inner strength to end
their substance use. When this happens, the desire for addiction treatment
outweighs the stigma, denial, fear, and shame. They might recognize they
desperately need treatment so they find a way to do it.
Some of the reasons why a person might finally make the
decision to get sober include:
·
for their marriage
·
for their children
·
to keep their career
·
to feel good about themselves again
·
to repair family relationships
·
to finally reach their dreams
These are all reasons that might propel a person's decision
to get sober. And if they can overcome the obstacles listed above, they might
find treatment supportive. In fact, once an individual realizes that he or she
is not alone in the drug treatment process, that usually instill hope in them.
And with hope, a person often feels strengthened in their decision to get
sober. For a person to stay sober,
that inner strength will be needed. Slowly, a person goes from making a
decision to get sober to deciding to stay sober no matter what. And even if a
person relapses, he or she commits to sobriety again. They commit to moving
upward and onward, despite the steps backward.
In this way, the decision to get sober is not a one-time
event. It's an ongoing process of staying sober each day of their recovery.
Like the AA phrase suggests, a person decides to get sober, "One Day at a
Time". And with each passing day, their decision for sobriety feels so
natural that they would never go back to a life of addiction.
However, this experience is not as easy as it sounds, and
some people might need support in making their decision to get sober. If you
are struggling with an addiction and you want to get sober but find that you
can't, contact a mental health provider for help.
