Recently I met a twenty-eight-year-old female named Rachael who is bipolar and who is also dependent on alcohol and drugs. I remember hearing that under such circumstances, a person needs to get treatment for both medical situations and that mental health problems and addiction many times occur in the same individual. Furthermore, I recollect hearing that a history of abusive and hazardous drinking, drug abuse, and/or mental health problems quite often happen in the same family.
Plainly, Rachael is so defeated by both of her medical issues and her relationship difficulties that she in actual fact has little or no driving force to do much of anything. What is especially sad about this is that earlier in her life, Rachael managed to finish two-and-a-half years of college. Rachael’s circumstance makes me question if she is an illustration of a person who has to hit the very bottom before he or she gets alcohol and drug addiction counseling that results in lasting recovery.
The Need For a Healthcare Practitioner She Trusts and a Treatment Program She Can Believe In
If I were in communication with Rachael I could suggest quite a lot of blogs and websites that could possibly help her find information about addiction and alcoholic behavior, relevant substance abuse information, facts about alcoholism and drugs, information about addiction symptoms and alcoholism warning signs, and relationship info. In my honest opinion, nevertheless, Rachael needs to find a therapist she trusts and a rehab program she can believe in and follow through over the long haul. I could be mistaken but it seems to make sense that Rachael more likely than not needs to admit the fact that she cannot drink at all or use drugs if she wants to get sober, remain sober, and start on the route to long-term sobriety.
I am mindful that there are a number of recently created physician-prescribed medications that can help Rachael avoid a drug and an alcohol drug relapse, help her through the drug and alcohol detoxification process, and help her through her withdrawal symptoms. Obviously it would be in Rachael’s best interests if she knew about these meds.
It seems clear that Rachael needs to acknowledge the fact that there is completely nothing positive about unhealthy and abusive drinking and drug addiction and that messing around with one or both conditions is the map to a premature death, shattered relationships, deteriorating health, legal problems, financial difficulties, and poor work and school performance.
The Relevance of Support Groups Such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
There are possibly a lot of persons such as friends, other individuals, and family members who would love to help Rachael but she more likely than not would experience greater acceptance from a support group such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous rather than listening to people who do not drink or who have never taken drugs.
When People Do Things They Love and About Which They Are Fervent
There’s a school of thought in psychology that declares that people who accomplish things they love and something about which they are dedicated reach a wonderful place in life. Stated more exactly, when people do what they love, they hardly ever experience boredom or an uneventful life. If they get involved in something that is worthwhile, what is more, they become more complete and experience more satisfaction and joy in life and in their relationships.
To me, this sounds like the exact opposite of a life that is rooted in drug and alcohol addiction because such a lifestyle removes the satisfaction and joy that life offers.
Because Rachael doesn’t have the fortitude to achieve much of anything in her life, it is plain to see that she urgently needs a little bit of hope for a better life. And the unfortunate thing is that hope is all around Rachael if she could only get to the place in life to get the treatment she requires for her mental illness and drug addiction and alcohol dependency and continue with her treatment routine.
Stronger Relationships, A Meaningful Life, Self Esteem, and Positive Change Are a Reality
Rachael is clearly too young to be defeated in life. She doesn’t comprehend this at this time in her life but if she can learn how to remove herself from alcohol and drugs via alcohol and drug rehabilitation and get the treatment she needs for her manic depression condition, she can reorient her life and start living with direction, self-respect, and passion.
More positive relationships, a wonderful life, self esteem, and constructive change are certainly a reality for Rachael if only she could become motivated to seek the professional treatment she requires, follow through with her therapy program, live her life in a healthy and drug and alcohol-free manner, and cultivate a more positive attitude about her existence.