There is no wakeup call more painful than when someone you love dies of an overdose. Many people who have been in this position choose to seek treatment and recovery for their own addictions as a way of avoiding is fate but also as a way of honoring the person they lost.
A World Turned Upside Down
When you lose someone you love to an overdose, it changes your life and your perspective on everything, most of all on substance abuse. For many people, the years spent using drugs can suddenly seem like a frightening and dangerous waste. And the fear for one’s own life can settle in strong, creating the most intense and most painful motivation for recovery.
But the truth is everyone who finds their motivation to quit abusing drugs finds it in a different way. And if you have realized that you no longer wish to be controlled by this illness and put yourself at risk of dangerous effects like overdose, your life will ultimately be safer, better, and more belonging to you than it ever was while you were using.
Facing and Overcoming Your Fear
According to the CDC, More than 52,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2015. This number becomes even more real when you lose someone in your life to addiction and overdose, and the fear of experiencing this outcome yourself can be devastating. But you can overcome your fear and begin your recovery.
The fear of overdose can be incredibly sobering, and many people do not know what to do at first. It is important to realize, though, that seeking help from a professional rehab program is the best way to overcome your fear and to avoid overdose and the other serious consequences of drug abuse.
Getting the Help You Need
Simply putting an end to your drug abuse is not enough. Many people who have been using for a long time think they can just stop abusing drugs and they will be able to create better lives. Unfortunately, because long-term substance abuse changes the way the brain works, people who have been using for a long time cannot always control their actions and simply quitting won’t solve the inherent problem. Instead, treatment is necessary.
According to the NLM, those who have just detoxed from opioid dependence are actually the most vulnerable to a deadly overdose because, if these individuals do relapse, they will often use the same amount of the drug they always did. With their lowered tolerances, this can quickly lead to an overdose. This is also the case for many other drug abusers. However, a person can avoid this issue by detoxing safely under the supervision of healthcare professionals and immediately attending addiction treatment thereafter. This will lower the individual’s chances of relapse and protect them from overdose.
In addition to seeking addiction treatment, you may also want to open up to your counselor about the reasons why you decided to get help, specifically the issue of losing your loved one to overdose. Grief can affect a person for a long time after the initial loss, and it is important that you face the issue during your treatment and seek the help you need.
You Too Can Overcome Overdose
Many people do survive an overdose and are affected by it for a long time, including the loved ones of those who do not survive. But getting help for your substance use disorder, seeking counseling, and creating a positive change in your life is the best way to overcome the experience. And your recovery will allow your loved one’s memory to live on in a positive way, creating something better than the life you had previously.
Addiction is a serious illness, and treatment is absolutely necessary for those hoping to put an end to compulsive substance abuse.