A Perspective on Drug Treatment: Punishment or Opportunity?

addict thinking
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There are two opposing views that a person can take as they seek help and enter a treatment facility for substance abuse and depending on a person’s perspective, this easily can tip the scale towards success or failure. When an addict seeks treatment, it usually involves some sort of desperation for life to get better, and it can be easy for a person to fall into the trap of viewing rehab as a form of punishment for all their transgressions while dealing with substance abuse. Feeling like a failure in life and self-deprecation are common in an addict when choices are driven by substance abuse. There are many factors I have observed regarding why a person’s approach to treatment is so important.

First let us look at the barriers the perspective of punishment can create for a person attempting to make a major lifestyle change and better their lives. Punishment promotes the idea that an addict is a bad person and needs to be punished for who they are as a person. What many of us know, especially those who have overcome substance abuse, is that while the behaviors driven by the drugs are often regrettable and have consequences, it is because a person has become unwell and is not acting as their true self. Drug dependency creates bad habits and behaviors that would otherwise not exist in a person once they become well. This is proven time and again when people overcome substance abuse and flourish in life.

If an addict is caught up in treatment being a form of punishment, it can also create an atmosphere that makes it very difficult to make real change. A person may count the days until discharge, for example, as opposed to using the time away in a safe place to make progress on changing their lives for the better. Another example would be time away from family with a person choosing to punish themselves for missing parts of their children’s, husband’s, or wife’s lives while in rehab. This can also create the mentality to rush through it as quickly as possible, missing the bigger picture of why they are there in the first place. When it gets down to it, punishment simply does not feel very good and can create the opposite results than what a person is seeking.

Opportunity, on the other hand, is what I believe treatment to truly be for anyone seeking to overcome drug or alcohol addiction. Opportunity is exciting, and opportunity creates ambition for success. It is not uncommon for people in rehab, especially early on, to get hung up on time and how long they will need to be in a facility. Punishing thoughts because of what their life may have become before seeking help can be intense, especially at the beginning when a person is no longer numbing their emotions. These thoughts are natural for anyone going through the uncomfortable feeling of coming off drugs and being in a strange environment. What I tell anyone experiencing these feelings when first coming to treatment is that they are natural when everything is in front of them, and then as they progress through the program, those feelings naturally begin to dissipate as they gain the positive and reinforcing thoughts from being clean and sober. The time away from family can be used as an opportunity for the good that can be created in those relationships, as opposed to viewing time away as a negative. Treatment is not punishment, it is an opportunity and the time spent in a treatment facility can be the most productive, positive, and impactful time of their life if they are willing to give in to the idea that they have that opportunity rather than being punished.

I fully understand that this way of thinking may not come naturally for a person beat down by substance abuse and may take some time for a person to get there. Rarely do I see a person come to treatment without some form of reservation or fear. There are certainly those that are more excited for the opportunity than others when they arrive and that is perfectly okay. We all come from different circumstances and backgrounds that lead us to the point of reaching for help. Regardless of the mindset a person comes in with, it is always my hope that they can get to the point of realizing the opportunity that is in front of them.

I am a big believer that you get out of life what you put into it, meaning that hard work and perseverance is often rewarded by the result one is seeking. The way one goes about treatment can follow a very similar pattern. A person remains stuck punishing themselves and counting down the days until they leave and inadvertently misses the boat to freedom from addiction along the way. On the flip side, a person gets to the point of seeing the opportunity that has presented itself and takes advantage of that opportunity by seizing every day as a chance to get better and make the changes that will last a lifetime. Amazing how a change in perspective, often so easy to understand yet so fleeting for some to genuinely buy into, can make all the difference.

AUTHOR

Justin

Justin has been working in the field of addiction and recovery for over 1 year. Justin earned his Bachelors's Degree in Finance from Florida State University. Having been an addict himself, he brings real-world experience to the table when helping addicts and their families, while also offering a first-person perspective to the current drug crisis. Justin is passionate about educating the public about what’s currently going on in our society, and thankfully, offers practical solutions.

NARCONON SUNCOAST

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION