Why are Drugs and Alcohol So Powerful
Many individuals start to abuse drugs and alcohol because they are peer pressured by others, they think it will allow for new adventures in life, and as a means of self-medication. It is easy for individuals to fall into peer pressure. The heaviness of hanging around people who are using and abusing drugs and alcohol can make any individual conform to and take part in situations they never thought they would. Then we have the people who are searching for something new and exciting that don’t realize what they are getting themselves into.
When it comes to searching for a new adventure in life, drugs can seem like a great escape. People of all ages can succumb to drug and alcohol abuse because they have trouble fitting in with the crowd. However, they don’t seem to realize what can start out as fun and games can and will turn into a full-fledged addiction that you cannot seem to escape no matter how hard you fight. There are also individuals who use drugs and alcohol to escape the world to get to their own.
The people who use drugs and alcohol as a means to self-medicate tend to find themselves deep into the grips of addiction in a blink of an eye. Individuals who do this keep doing it because it makes them feel better than they have ever felt. The drugs and alcohol make them forget about their real-life problems. Eventually, they are sure they cannot live without the use of drugs and alcohol. For Brandon, he used for all these reasons.
Drugs and alcohol have a way of cutting deep into a person’s soul. The substances will change the way you feel about the world and make everything that has gone wrong feel right. However, that feeling of happiness and acceptance of the world doesn’t last forever and Brandon found that out quicker than he would have liked.
Dangers of Mixing Love and Drugs
When abusing drugs and alcohol you are going to eventually need more. Your body is going to crave more drugs or something more than drugs to feel accepted and at peace with the world. Some people will go to a different substance. For example, a Heroin addict will start using Meth and an alcoholic will start using pills to try and get the effect they so crave.
Others, like Brandon, will get more drugs, mix them, and still crave something stronger. Your heart will be searching for something powerful and you will turn to another human that is living the same lifestyle for a different type of high- because finding someone who has a common interest is a high itself.
Once you have finally found someone to love who loves drugs and alcohol as much as you do- you feel complete. Finally, there is someone out there who puts drugs and alcohol before everything in their life that holds importance just like you. This feeling you get may feel marvelous but it is very dangerous.
Experiencing something like this it is called codependency. When you find someone who has the same common interest as you things seem to get easier. The loneliness disperses, and agonizing pain goes away. Just like how things were when you first started using drugs. You will do everything with this person. If they are using drugs, you are using drugs. If they are clean and sober, you are clean and sober. That’s just how it works in these types of relationships.
You will come to a point in your addiction when you are going to want to stop and the person you are using with might not want to. You will go your separate ways and you will clean yourself up. Somehow, they will always seem to come back into their life- if you let them. When you let them back into your life and they aren’t doing good you will easily fall back into your old ways and be back to where you started without any idea of how you got there.
Recovery and Relationships
In order to remove yourself from these habits you need to make a 360-degree change on your life. Brandon ended up meeting someone at a gas station who introduced him to the 12-step program. He has had a few hiccups since then but is now going steady for almost a year. He removed the negativity from his life and is now living a life he never imagined possible.
In a 12-step program it is recommended to not get into a relationship for the first year of recovery. They say this because early recovery is a fragile time and it is easy to fall back into old patterns. Especially when you are with someone you are attracted too who isn’t working a good recovery program. Take it from Brandon, he had to learn the hard way.
Now he is focusing on loving himself before he puts his time and effort into loving someone else. Emotions run wild when you are first getting clean and sober- don’t complicate them by getting into a relationship. Brandon’s story is compelling and can inspire the world. He has been through things most people couldn’t imagine. If he can get clean and sober you can to.
Never give up on yourself. Recovery is never easy, but it is worth it. All it takes is some time ad dedication. Get up, get to a meeting, get a higher power, and work with another addict or alcoholic is all the 12-step program asks of you. It is a simple program for complicated people. Keep working hard and the miracle of life will happen.
If you would like to share your story, then visit Sober Soundoff! Turn in your story to have it featured on our site, and also have a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card.
If you or a loved one is struggling with the grips of addiction listen to Brandon’s story and give us a call. We will be waiting to hear from you and help you save your life. Our number is: (866) 578-7471.