Around six months ago I had breakfast with a forty-five-year-old male named Alexander who suffers from acute depression, has marital issues, and who is alcohol and drug dependent. As explained by Alexander, it is his alcohol and drug addiction and his extreme depression that had the most to do with his perpetual divorce difficulties.
I remember hearing that a history of mental health concerns, drug addiction, and unhealthy and excessive drinking often occur in the same family. Moreover, I remember hearing that under such circumstances, a person needs to get counseling for both medical conditions and that dependency and mental health issues frequently take place in the same person.
As declared by Alexander, he is so overcome by his divorce issues and by both of his medical problems that he in actual fact has no enthusiasm to complete much of anything. What is particularly unfortunate about this is that earlier in his life, Alexander managed to finish three semesters of graduate school in art history.
Alexander’s situation makes me question if he is an example of a person who can look in the mirror and see his drug abuse and alcohol drinking problems and do something constructive about these difficulties or if he is someone who has to hit rock-bottom before he gets drug and alcohol rehabilitation that results in long-term recovery.
The Need For a Rehabilitation Regimen He Can Believe In and a Therapist He Can Trust
If it would be beneficial I would imagine that I could advise him about quite a lot of websites that could possibly help him locate information about drug abuse symptoms, the stages of alcoholism, chemical dependency information, and relationship problems. In my humble opinion, nevertheless, Alexander needs to find a rehabilitation program he can believe in and follow over the long term and locate a physician he can trust.
I could be mistaken but it seems logical to conclude that Alexander more likely than not needs to look within himself regarding his drug addiction signs and alcoholic symptoms and recognize the fact that he cannot use drugs or drink at all if he wants to get sober, remain sober, and start on the path to long-term recovery.
It may be asked how therapy would help his alcohol and drug addiction. For starters, there are quite a few newly created physician-prescribed meds that can help Alexander avoid an alcohol or a drug relapse, help him through the drug and alcohol detoxification process, and help him through his withdrawal symptoms.
Second, Alexander would learn to accept the fact that there is completely nothing affirmative about drug abuse and harmful drinking and that involving himself in one or both situations is the road to financial difficulties, deteriorating health, poor work and school performance, shattered relationships, a premature death, and legal problems.
Third, treatment for his depression and for his marital issues might help him cope with these medical conditions more effectively and perhaps create less of a need for him to involve himself in addictive behavior.
The Relevance of Support Groups Like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
There are reasonably a lot of other people, family members, and friends who would offer to help Alexander with his chemical dependency and his hazardous drinking. He probably would experience greater tolerance from a recovery group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, however, rather than listening to people who drink responsibly or who have never taken drugs.
When People Do Things They Like and About Which They Are Ardent
There’s a philosophical outlook that proclaims that individuals who accomplish things they like and something about which they are passionate arrive at a splendid place in life. Stated another way, when people do what they love, they almost never go through boredom or an uneventful life. If they get involved in something that is gratifying, moreover, they become more fulfilled and experience more happiness and joy in life, in their relationships, and in their friendships.
When this is thought about even for a few moments it becomes clear that this positive mindset is diametrically opposed to a life that is grounded in substance abuse because such a lifestyle removes the contentment and joy that life offers.
Due to the fact that Alexander lacks the ambition to succeed at doing much of anything in his life, it is clear that he badly needs a little hope for a more fulfilling existence. And the sad thing is that hope is virtually everywhere around Alexander if he could only get to the point in life to get the treatment he needs for his severe depression and drug addiction and alcoholism and stick with his treatment routine.
More Solid Relationships, Positive Change, Self Esteem, and a Wonderful Life Are Possibilities
Alexander is clearly too young to be dejected in life. He doesn’t realize this at this time in his life but if he can learn how to abstain from alcohol and drugs via drug and alcohol rehabilitation and get the counseling he needs for his intense depression, he can redirect his life and start living with passion, direction, and with self-respect.
Enhanced relationships, positive change, self respect, and a meaningful life are certainly possibilities for Alexander if only he could get motivated to seek the professional rehab he requires, follow through with his treatment program, live his life in a drug and alcohol-free and healthy way, and learn how to acquire a more positive attitude about life.
