Addiction can take everything away from us. Many a poem, story, book, and song have been written about this particular part of living with active addiction. Personifying addiction as its own living entity, the mischievous and malicious addiction seeks to destroy everything in its wake by taking complete control. Addiction takes jobs, relationships, health, wellness, happiness, passion, finances, personal belongings, and memories. Addiction takes lives, ruins lives, and makes lives nothing short of miserable.
Addiction turns us into someone we don’t want to be, someone we never intended to be, and someone who we have to work extremely hard to stop being. In the wake of addiction’s wrath, our family can be affected. Very often, our family ties are severed in a way so severe that they seem irreparable. We have to remember for ourselves that we are not bad people who are incapable of being good. We are addicted people who need to heal our mind and body while learning how to live life in a way which no longer necessitates active addiction as a way to cope. After what can be numerous betrayals, disappointments, and heartbreaks, our family members may decide that for their own health and wellness, taking distance from us is a necessary choice. There is something we have to realize right away when a family member takes their space while we seek recovery: we are worth forgiving, we are worth loving, and we are worth having close relationships.
Getting hung up on being “abandoned” by family in some of our most dire moments is all too easy for us to do. Treatment teaches us that we can utilize just about anything in our lives as a justification for not “doing the work” to grow and heal. We can also utilize just about anything as an excuse for relapse. Dealing with difficult family dynamics is just that- difficult. Strained familial ties can be extremely stressful and emotionally taxing. However, complicated family relationships are just one of the many challenges we might come across in life. Our true test as men in recovery is to stay the course of our journey to healing and remain abstinent no matter what comes before us.
Transform your life, inside and out as you find freedom from addiction. At Tree House Recovery in Orange County, California, we’re helping men create the sustainable changes necessary to build a sustainable recovery. Call us today for information: (855) 202-2138
