Not Me: Identifying Addiction
Not Me: Identifying Addiction
A new survey of smokers, or should I say, people who smoke, has brought out that old issue of admitting there’s a problem. The California study showed that more than 12 percent of Californians who smoke do not identify as smokers. These are people who:
- Smoked at least once in the past 30 days
- Smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime
- Said they smoked at least some days
But are you a smoker? No. Are they addicted to nicotine? Definitely not.
This type of behavior is definitely not limited to smokers. You see it everywhere in life. I remember my father being asked his medical history by a nurse and he answered ‘no’ to the question ‘have you ever had cancer?’ I mentioned that he had had prostate cancer and skin cancer, and he replied that they didn’t count—prostate cancer because he had been treated for it and never had another problem and skin cancer because that wasn’t a ‘real’ cancer. I suppose you can split hairs, but in a medical history, cancer is cancer.
When does it count? When does drinking or using drugs count? No one wants to be part of the statistic. You can listen to statistics about anything in life—unplanned pregnancy, divorce, car accidents—and your response would be ‘that can’t happen to me. I’m different.’ If you are lucky, your first fender bender is enough to make you realize car accidents are called accidents for a reason. They happen, can happen to anyone and no one plans on them. Every other worst case scenario fits that, too.
It’s not what you planned to be, but what you are. Part of being an adult is learning to deal with whoever you turned out to be. You didn’t plan on cancer, but you treat it, you don’t ignore it. No one planned to be an addict or alcoholic. Look at how you are using and drinking and tell the truth to yourself, for once. It’s time to make a change and deal with the situation in drug rehab.
Recovery Connection can help. We can find you safe, comfortable rehab where you can face the situation in your life and get the tools to cope with it. Call our intake counselors any time at 866-812-8231 for help.
