The Danger of Denying Your Addiction

Ever since society became aware of the word addiction and what it meant, people have always turned a sharp eye to those who fall victim to it. And while addiction might seem to be a common sight in our times due to the abundance of its cases in the news, it is still unaccepted by a majority of the population, who often look down to the select few who suffer the uncontrollable thirsts placed upon them by drug or alcohol addiction.

This is especially true here in the Philippines, where society places a great weight on personal value and honor; things that can ruin an individual’s reputation (such as addiction) are big news, and people whose lives have been affected by these things become infamous, no matter how small the “infection” may have been. People are always seeing the “little dents” of these victims rather than focusing on doing what is best on saving them.

For this reason, most (if not all) victims of addiction, instead of coming out with their addiction problems to be helped by the right people, choose to hide and try to solve their issues on their own in spite of being aware of how helpless they are in staying away from the things they are addicted to. They grope around in the darkness, trying to find the way out, not realizing how deeper down they are moving to.

In spite of the anti-drug campaigns carrying out by government and private rehab centers in the Philippines in trying to save the victims of addiction, all efforts appear to go down the drain because victims themselves hide in the closet to cover up their addiction problems instead of coming out in the open.

This is why this issue is serious. Like rotten eggs, no matter how much the victim tries to cover his or her problem with addiction, it will eventually seep out and when it does, it will have worse effects than it would have had if it was dealt with in the beginning. Denying your addiction has its consequences, and these consequences are not something that is worth hiding the problem for.

Denying Addiction Destroys Your Physical and Mental Health

The first and biggest area of a person’s life that is affected by secrecy or denial is his or her health, whether it is the physical side or the mental side. It takes a lot of physical and mental energy to deny something when you know it exists. For victims of addiction, the amount of energy they spend on trying to constantly deny their addiction problem causes their health to constantly decrease, in addition to the already accumulating negative effects brought upon their bodies by the addictive substance, i.e. nicotine, alcohol or prohibited drugs.

Denial Strains Relationships

Denial also places strain on the relationships of the addiction victim, as it distances the individual from the people who care for him or her. It is indeed difficult to watch someone so close to you deny the fact that he or she is being destroyed, even when you can clearly see the facts. Additionally, the mental imbalance brought upon the victim by his or her addiction causes him or her to resent being with other people, further driving the individual into isolation. This scenario leads to further damages on the part of the addicted person as he will refuse to accept any outside help to sustain his addiction and pretend there is nothing wrong.

Addiction Gets Passed On, Whether You Deny It or Not

When parents become victims of addiction, it greatly affects the lives of their children. It is important to realize that when a child sees his or her parents angry, depressed or stressed out, whether or not it was the child’s fault, will always blame his self or herself for what is happening to the parents. Children with parents who are victims of alcohol addiction tend to grow up becoming addicts themselves, whether or not the parent denies the fact or not. The child tends to think that the situation is normal and engaging in such activity doesn’t have a negative effect on his life. Or the child may feel rebellious and bitter, seeking for things that could upset his or her parents in a vengeful manner – which is in this case - the use and abuse of illegal substances.

Denying Addiction Problems Leads to Other Immoral Actions

Denying your addiction problem is lying to one’s self. It destroys your moral compass, causing you to lose distinction between what is right and what is wrong. Trying to hide the fact that you have a problem does not help the situation – it only worsens what is already there. It is like adding insult to injury.

It does not matter how far down someone has fallen into addiction – they can be helped. The first step is to admit the truth. As long as an individual is holding on to a false perception of himself or herself, he or she cannot be helped. Family members should try their best to interfere with the negative activity to save their loved ones. Each member of the family should join hand in hand and encourage the victim to undergo rehabilitation and treatment. Family intervention plays a big role when it comes to showing the victim the real score. In addition, family involvement provides inspiration and motivation for both parties to continue their quest in fighting addiction.

Families who need to deal with an addicted loved one should have the broadest mind in order to resolve each and every issue associated with addiction. Their role is to accept the truth that there is a problem and that problem should be laid out in the open to get professional support. Denying and hiding the matter will only make the condition worst and it will make the case difficult to straighten out in later stage.

If you are struggling with an addiction, don’t try to hide it or deny it. The truth will set you free. The first step to freedom is to admit that you have a problem, and let someone else pull you out of it. Drug or alcohol rehab center can save you from drowning. Others may not understand, but don’t let whatever they say prevent you from seeking help. If you switched places, they would have probably had it worse.