Why Addicts Don’t Get Help
The biggest reason that addicts don’t get help is that they do not see a “need for help” the majority of the time.
Denial is one of the most telling signs of addiction and it involves believing that everything is fine and there is no drug problem. While loved ones, neighbors, coworkers and many other people see the need for the person to get help, the addict does not. Denial is a powerful thing. Even when addiction brings about physical illness, the addict often refuses to see a connection between the illness and the drugs. Addicts live in their own little world where they believe everything is just fine and they have blinders on to what other people see is going on.
Many loved ones even will supply the drug or alcohol with good intentions, but bad judgment.
Another reason addicts do not get help is fear or anxiety. This is especially true if the addict has never been through rehab before. There is an uncertainty of what to expect and how bad withdrawal will be, among other things. Rehab, over the years has gotten an unfair rap and most addicts do not realize that the detoxification process and rehab have evolved a great deal.
Many addicts do not get help because they don’t want it. They know that by getting help, it means giving up the drugs and/or alcohol and that is not something they are willing to do.
* Remember, it is an addiction.
There is a physical and emotional need for the substance that the addict just doesn’t want to give up. Even though the reality is that the addiction causes much more pain than pleasure, they still do not want to give it up.
While an addict is responsible for their own actions, many don’t get help because their loved ones are enabling them to continue their addictions. Loved ones will call in sick for the addict or make excuses why they are behaving strangely. Many loved ones even will supply the drug or alcohol with good intentions, but bad judgment. Many times loved ones adapt their own behavior around those of the addict instead of pointing out why the addict needs help. This furthers the addict’s convictions that the drug or alcohol abuse is ok and there is nothing wrong. Often, it is not just the addict that needs help; it is everyone in the home. There are reasons people act the way they do and until those reasons are discovered and dealt with, the problems will continue. People do not like change which is another reason addicts do not seek help.
