Approximately a year ago I had lunch with a forty-three-year-old male named Alexander who suffers from severe depression, has relationship difficulties, and who is addicted to drugs and alcohol. As stated by Alexander, it is his alcohol and drug dependency and his severe depression that had the most to do with his recurring relationship difficulties.
I remember hearing that a history of mental health issues, substance abuse, and abusive and unhealthy drinking many times occur in the same family. In addiction, I have read that in such situations, a person needs to get counseling for both medical conditions and that dependency and mental health difficulties frequently take place in the same individual.
As affirmed by Alexander, he is so crushed by his relationship problems and by both of his medical conditions that he essentially has no drive to achieve much of anything. What is especially sad about this is that earlier in his life, Alexander finished four semesters of grad school in business management.
Alexander’s situation makes me wonder if he is an illustration of a person who can look in the mirror and see his drug abuse and alcohol drinking problems and do something meaningful about these issues or if he is a person who has to hit the bottom of the barrel before he gets alcohol and drug addiction counseling that leads to lasting recovery.
The Need For a Rehabilitation Program He Can Believe In and a Psychologist He Can Trust
If it would be helpful I would presume that I could recommend quite a few websites and blogs that could possibly help him find info about drug abuse symptoms, the stages of alcoholism, substance abuse information, and relationship difficulties. In my honest opinion, nonetheless, Alexander needs to find a rehabilitation regimen he can believe in and follow over the long haul and locate a psychologist he can trust.
I could be wrong but it seems logical to conclude that Alexander probably needs to look honestly at his life regarding his drug addiction signs and alcoholic symptoms and comprehend the fact that he cannot use drugs or drink at all if he wants to get sober, stay sober, and start on the path to lasting sobriety.
It may be asked how counseling would help his drug and alcohol addiction. For starters, there are a number of recently developed doctor-prescribed meds that can help Alexander avoid a drug and an alcohol drug relapse, help him through the drug and alcohol detoxification process, and help him through his withdrawal symptoms.
Second, Alexander would learn to understand the fact that there is absolutely nothing beneficial about drug abuse and negative drinking and that messing around with one or both conditions is the map to poor work and school performance, shattered relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, a premature death, and deteriorating health.
Third, therapy for his depression and for his relationship difficulties might help him deal with these medical issues more successfully and help create less of a need for him to engage in addictive behavior.
The Importance of Support Groups Like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous
There are realistically a lot of family members, friends, and other people who would want to help Alexander with his chemical dependency and his excessive and careless drinking. He possibly would experience greater tolerance from a support group such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous, however, rather than getting advice from people who do not drink or who have never abused drugs.
When People Do Things They Love and About Which They Are Fervent
There’s a school of thought in psychology that states that people who do things they love and something about which they are dedicated arrive at an amazing place in life. In other words, when people do what they enjoy, they hardly ever experience boredom or an uneventful life. If they involve themselves in something that is fulfilling, furthermore, they become more whole and experience more contentment and joy in life and in their relationships.
When this is thought about for a few moments it becomes obvious that this uplifting mentality is diametrically opposed to a life that is grounded in alcohol and drug addiction because such a lifestyle removes the pleasure and delight that life has to offer.
Because Alexander lacks the willpower to accomplish much of anything in his life, it is plain to see that he urgently needs some hope for a more fulfilling life. And the sad thing is that hope is almost everywhere around Alexander if he could only get to the place in life to get the therapy he needs for his extreme depression and drug dependence and alcohol addiction and stick with his treatment protocol.
Better Relationships, Beneficial Change, Self Esteem, and a Wonderful Life Are a Reality
Alexander is simply too young to be defeated in life. He doesn’t realize this at this time in his life but if he can learn how to remove himself from drugs and alcohol through drug and alcohol rehab and get the counseling he needs for his acute depression, he can reorient his life and start living with direction, self-respect, and passion.
Better relationships, a meaningful life, self esteem, and positive change are certainly a reality for Alexander if only he could become motivated to seek the medical rehabilitation he needs, follow through with his treatment protocol, live his life in an addiction-free and healthy way, and learn how to acquire a more positive attitude about life.