Society may view our addiction as an intractable problem; that phrase said with disdain, "Once an addict, always an addict.“ However, our drug use was only a symptom of deeper issues that affect our behaviors, thinking, feelings and how we coped with them.
Some of us didn’t believe that we had a problem, or we felt that we could stop at time we wanted. Many of believed that we could not live without drugs; emotional pain was too great, the sickness from withdrawals was unbearable.
"That stubborn pain in my leg just won’t go away! I need this. It’s prescribed anyway.” As the drug use progresses we end up creating more problems.
No one could tell us that we are addicts. We had to come to that conclusion ourselves. Admitting and accepting this we opened the door getting the help in understanding what about lead us to drugs use and to become dependent on our drug(s) of choice.
We work on our recovery from within. We realize that our best thinking kept getting us into trouble. We examine the fears and doubts that were just as debilitating as the substances we put into our bodies. Over a period of time we can start to see our part in conflicts. We practice pausing before reacting. Situations that used to cause us distress become easier to work through.
By not picking up the first one we get the chance to acknowledge the pain, work through it, and grow from it - one day at time.