I was once told that Òmost
substance abuse arises from poor coping skills.Ó A speaker at a seminar I attended
said Òthe decision to use always seems like the ÔrightÕ decision in the short
run.Ó
What those two statements
tell us, taken together, is that we started using alcohol or drugs because they
provided some benefit, and often that benefit is relief from stress, distress,
anxiety, or thoughts that lead to frustration or anger. In the short run, the
substance relaxes our mind, settles our brain, allows us to seek social
distraction, etc.
But in the long run,
continuing to turn to the substance for that short-term relief leads to
habituation and dependence, and it becomes difficult to stop. Meanwhile, we
havenÕt dealt with the distress or the unhappy thoughts—weÕve merely
postponed them. So we havenÕt coped. WeÕve just set aside the things that upset
us. When weÕre sober again, there they are.
A sudden shock, trauma, or a
life-changing event such as the death of a loved one can raise a whole lot of
emotions all at once. Everything IÕve read lists anger and guilt as two of the
most common, and often the anger seems to be directed at things that donÕt make
sense. ÔI love my mother but I find myself getting angry when she is cryingÕ
fits right in with that. ThereÕs also a kind of mental confusion, a dysphoria,
that makes it more difficult to process the emotions. Rational thought
processes are jumbled and it can be difficult to make healthy decisions.
Years ago we had to make the
decision to put down my old dog because the pain of his cancer was increasing.
My first dog, raised from a puppy. My wife offered to take him to the vet, and
I drove to work determined to carry on. When I arrived, I realized I had made
the entire 15 minute drive entirely in a mental fog, more or less on autopilot.
I didnÕt remember a thing about it, probably was terribly unsafe, and for the
rest of the morning I couldnÕt focus on anything.
Rather than try to Ôcarry onÕ
in a state of shock or profound sadness, it is healthier, even necessary, to
Ò(1)
Accept the loss;
(2) Work through
and feel the physical and emotional pain of grief;
(3) Adjust to
living in a world without the person or item lost; and
(4) Move on with
life.Ó*
We tend to want
to suppress any outward expression of the emotional pain. But that can be very
frustrating. Most people find that talking with someone about loss can be very
helpful. If you can find someone you trust to talk to in person, great. If not,
online peer support is an option that many find useful. So that is one purpose
of this forum.
One advantage of
talking to a professional would be to watch for signs of depression. The
article linked below has some of the signs of clinical depression. Techniques
such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Rational-Emotional Behavior
Therapy (REBT), used by counselors for dealing with depression, have been found
to be effective for substance abuse issues as well.
Part of achieving
acceptance is being realistic. REBT uses a simple tool to help organize
the process of dealing with the beliefs that are distressing us. The ABC isnÕt
intended to solve your grief, or even to make you feel ÔbetterÕ. It simply
provides an outline for how to think about each specific disturbing thought.
The objective of the ABC is to get to a new belief which leads to healthier
outcomes, in this case a reduction of your sadness. ÔIÕll never see him againÕ
or ÔMy life will be empty foreverÕ can be heart-breaking thoughts. See the link
below for more info on how to do an ABC.**
So it can be helpful to take
those thoughts and work consciously towards new beliefs. Try restating the
thoughts more accurately: ÔMy life feels empty because I miss him deeply, but I
know that as time passes IÕll accept this.Õ Redirecting a thought to make it
more affirming can work: ÔIÕll never see him againÕ can be turned in to ÔIÕll
never forget himÕ, which is more comforting.
The goal is to help you
process each thought which might
otherwise lead you to seek temporary relief by drinking or using drugs, or
engaging in other self-harming behavior. And self-harming behavior can include
cutting, eating disorders, getting into unhealthy relationships, sabotaging
healthy relationships, or other activities that make you feel bad or interfere
with your life.
Some ideas that may help you
with grief and avoid turning to substances:
ÒThis too shall pass.Ó It
sounds banal, but time really does heal. No, you donÕt Ôget overÕ loss. You
adapt to it. The loss youÕre feeling is real and has changed your life. But the
intensity of sadness youÕre feeling right now will diminish, and you will smile
again.
ThereÕs nothing wrong with
the way youÕre feeling. Anger and guilt and irritability are all normal
reactions. The people around you probably understand better than you think. Cut
yourself some slack; there is no ÔrightÕ way to grieve.
People do care, including
complete strangers. It hurts to see someone sad and feeling alone. So please
donÕt hesitate to reach out when youÕre upset. What you donÕt realize is that
someone else will come along and read your post, and feel comforted to see they
are not alone in their feelings. So thank you, and please take care of
yourself.
á
How To Deal
With Grief, from the National Mental Health Information Center:
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/KEN-01-0104/default.asp
á
ABC: A Crash
Course, from the SMART Recovery home page: