YOU ARE STRONG. HOW TO OVERCOME ADDICTION IF THE WHOLE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU.

Recovery from alcohol, nicotine, or drug addiction is not an easy process. People who have faced it would prove that the most difficult thing is not to stop consuming the substance, but the fear, loneliness, and feeling of despair. Unfortunately, that is true.

Even in our modern and tolerant world, people still expect men to superhuman. The society is filled with stereotypes about the men’s strength, bravery, and unfluctuating stance of mind. That is a rare fact that you meet people, who understand that men also need some support, sympathy, and care.

In fact, loneliness is not only a problem of sixteen-year-old teens who seek for love. That is the real problem of the modern world. Scientific studies in fields of social sciences have proved that people nowadays are lonelier than never before. Partially, this is because of the constant use of social networks. People gain new ‘friends’ on Facebook, who ‘like’ their photos, but they lose those, who can listen to them and hear them.

The statistics prove that one of the reasons for people to get addicted is loneliness and lack of a soulmate. All humans need some attention. The situation is even worse when we come to gender differences. Because of the stereotypes, women get more support and attention than men do. This is the reason for the creation men-only rehab programs.

Any professional mens drug rehab is built on the principle of community and recreation or the creation of new social support networks. In case, you are addicted and you have nobody to share this problem with; in case, you afraid to talk about that because you feel shame, you have to look for men’s rehabilitation programs and support groups.

Men, who participate in men-only rehab programs learn how to reconnect with people around them. There are many cases when even wives were not conscious of the fact that her husband is addicted. Your wife would always SUPPORT you. The only thing you need is coming out.

The Role of Loneliness

Loneliness is defined as the stance of being unhappy because you are alone or because you have no friends. However, if we probe deeper, we would understand that the statement is not about a buddy that you drink bear on Fridays with.

Loneliness is about having no soul connection to those, around us. Loneliness is a lack of ability to express your feelings. Loneliness is a lack of understanding and support from those you live with. It is a complex experience, which means a sense of self-unworthiness.

Loneliness is the starting point for depression. When we feel lonely, we feel like we do not deserve what we have. We seek people, who would confirm that we are decent enough for possessing our material wealth and social benefits. When we do not find them, we get into even more despair.

Loneliness is one of the top factors of addiction relapse. People, who have given up, when feeling lonely, get into a depressive mood. They might end up with shame, anxiety, social isolation, a constant sense of guilt and, as a result, relapse. They underestimate, how STRONG they are.

How to Fight off Loneliness?

One of the basic sources of loneliness is low self-esteem. It always questions your personal value and pushes you to a slippery slope at rock bottom of which is relapse. Professional mens drug rehab and specialized facilities often indicate that they recommend men to stay in a bit longer. When you see that on the website, do not think that the rehab for men just wants to rip-off (although, there is that, too). Men need more support because society usually underestimates their need for attention. A group of male friends is more likely to joke at each other than to discover the feelings of each other.

In case, you are fed up with rehab facilities and want to continue your life in this world, but are afraid of loneliness and relapse, here are some tips to be out of loneliness.

Tip 1. To grieve, to stress, to depress.

It might sound a bit strange, but you have to learn to express your feelings, especially if they are negative. Remember, you are STRONG enough to get rid of them. Although to get rid of them, you have to live through them for a while. It also concerns the addiction itself. If you feel like it was a significant part of your life, allow yourself to be sad about it. You have to understand that drugs/nicotine/ alcohol was a part of your life and now there is a gap on that place. You have to decide consciously what to fill the time you have spent for the substance on. It might be a girlfriend, wood engraving, a new pet, jogging – whatever! The idea is to be busy with something that gives you pleasure.

Tip 2. To talk, to share, to support.

Just keeping busy might not help, because when you do something, your thoughts might still be far away. Make sure that there is a person, whom you can trust and with whom you can openly share your feelings. If you are not sure that you want this to be a close person (a relative or an old friend), you are free to choose. You might visit a support group on male addiction and find a partner over there. You also might do it online – various specialized forums or simply anonymous chats are free to use.

Tip 3. To give and to receive love.

Firstly, you might become a volunteer. You would interact with ‘any and all’ people. They would share their life experiences and support you. The golden rule says that by helping others, you always help yourself.

Secondly, learn to love yourself. Remember that you are a beautiful, STRONG, witty man, who can overcome all kinds of challenges ever faced. Loving yourself also means the end of low self-esteem. Loving yourself is a process of developing your identity. That is not an easy process, but the most important is that it is real. In case, you are quite sure, how to do it, you might consult a psychologist.

Conclusions

To sum up, addiction is one of the most terrible things that can happen to you. It can happen, no matter, who you are. Society usually blames the one who is addicted. They say that it was his or her choice and that he or she could have avoided that. Not so many people share the same feelings as the addicted has. It might be difficult to understand how it is to be criticized all the time, especially, if you have already decided to give up. However, it is important to remember that you are STRONG and you can do that!

Coming out is one of the most important, but also the most difficult thing. It takes great courage to affirm that you are or used to be a drug taker. The more difficult it is to cope with the addiction. Even being conscious of the fact that you are a drug taker, does not mean that you can quit so easily. Here comes the moment, when many people just go with the flow. However, this is the last thing to do. You are STRONG! You can cope with all the problems that you face.