When you’re in the throes of addiction, it’s hard to make good decisions. Your focus is generally on getting today’s fix, and you are forced to reject and neglect long term thinking and future planning. It’s easy to let years slip by as you spend each day focused on the simple problem of getting what you need. But you can make the decision to fight against your addiction today. We’re going to let you know why you should.
1) Fentanyl
We tend to think of death in terms of big, dramatic moments. Plane crashes, heart attacks, natural disasters. But if you’re a drug user, something as small as a speck of dust lurking in your pill or powder could be your undoing. The menace of fentanyl is as real as a natural disaster or the current coronavirus scare. Mexican drug cartels are adding the fatal substance to everything from cocaine to counterfeit Xanax pills, on account of its extremely low cost and incredible potency. Anyone who uses drugs has heard horror stories of accidental overdoses, whether it’s a college student taking a pill to aid in partying or studying, a celebrity like the late Mac Miller or Prince overdosing, or a fellow addict who was unlucky enough to buy a contaminated substance.
The story of Madeline Globe is a familiar one. A college student bought what she thought was Xanax from a low level dealer who thought he was selling Xanax. She went to sleep and never woke up, leaving behind shocked and devastated parents and friends. As prosecutors in the case noted, no one knows what is in drugs bought on the streets or from the Dark Web, except for those manufacturing them in Mexican laboratories. Using drugs has become a game of Russian Roulette, and the longer you continue to play, the lower your odds of survival.
2) Your Health
Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid drugs laced with fentanyl, years of addiction will have dramatic negative effects on your overall health. Addiction can cause a host of health problems, from things as dramatic as increasing the risk of serious communicable diseases, heart conditions and brain damage, to nagging ailments, infections, and cosmetic problems which will also hinder your ability to live well. When in the throes of addiction, almost no one pays attention to nutrition, rest, exercise and the other necessary, everyday tasks needed to keep body and soul together. Ending your dependence on substances is the single most important thing you can do to improve your long-term health.
And let’s not neglect mental health. The data shows that addiction goes hand in hand with a number of mental illnesses. Whether this is the product of self-medication, the stress, anxiety, and trauma assisted with the life of habitual drug users, or the result of changes in brain chemistry wrought by substance use is unclear. But even if sobriety doesn’t cure your mental illness, it will allow you to deal with the symptoms and minimize their effects on your well-being.
3) Your Loved Ones
If you have issues with substance abuse, we’re willing to bet that your relationships with family members, spouses, partners, and friends have been damaged by trust issues, anger, secrets, betrayals, and lies. Addiction makes it impossible to be your best self, and puts an unsustainable amount of pressure onto all of your relationships. Whether you have bottomed out to the point where your children are in the care of relatives and you’ve separated from your spouse, or you’re lucky enough to have a family that remains intact for the moment, the most important relationships in your life will definitely benefit from the decision to pursue a sober life.
Even relationships that seem irreparable at this moment can be put back together if you are willing to put in the time and the work. You’ll find that life in recovery doesn’t just make you healthier, stronger, and happier, but that it bestows a host of blessings on all of those close to you. The people who love you have suffered for too long. It’s time to start contributing to their happiness.
4) Money
This reason is perhaps less high-minded than the others, but it will have a massive impact on the quality of your life. Take a moment and try to add up the amount of money that substance abuse has taken from you. Aside from the drugs and alcohol, don’t forget to consider legal fees, professional opportunities lost and neglected, and medical expenses incurred. Once you begin to crunch the numbers, you’ll be amazed at just how much you’ve squandered. Recovery will offer you the opportunity to spend your money on things that will actually enrich your life and bring you joy. Whether it’s a house, a trip you’ve always dreamt of, a shiny new car, or simply achieving independence and no longer having to beg, borrow, and steal to make ends meet, ending your addiction is the first step toward financial stability.
5) Freedom
Freedom from drugs takes many forms. The most obvious is freedom from the constant threat of arrest and incarceration that comes from using illegal substances. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Freedom also means the control over your own life that you’ve surrendered to pills and powders. Your feelings, thoughts, and moods will be your own again, rather than being dictated by the impulses driven by addiction. But freedom also manifests itself in the form of time. When you no longer need to spend your time chasing a fix, you’ll be amazed by how many hours there are in the day, and how much productive and pleasurable activity can be crammed into each and every one. You could get fit, read books, take up yoga, or painting, or music. You can reconnect with nature and the people in your life. You can use your newfound freedom to re-discover the potential and beauty inside of you. If you are ready to be free, get in touch with Tabula Rasa Retreat today!
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530