You have probably had an experience (indeed, probably more than one) where you knew you had to do something, but you kept putting it off. It might have been something small like waiting until the grass is past your ankles before you finally convince yourself to mow. Or it might be a big thing like ending a relationship that has run its course for one reason or another.
There might be any number of reasons for putting things off, and most people are pretty adept at justifying the decision to procrastinate—at least to themselves. In many cases, the consequences of putting off a task are small. But there are situations in which a tendency to procrastinate can lead to significant negative outcomes.
One of those more serious situations arises when a substance use disorder is in play. A person who is struggling with drugs or alcohol needs to get themselves into treatment—and do so sooner rather than later. But many people in that situation put off making the move that will help them leave substances behind.
Why would they do that? Or to put it more directly: If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, why would you do that?
Let’s take a look at the sorts of excuses and rationalizations that keep folks out of treatment—and why none of them stand up to scrutiny.
‘I Don’t Have a Problem’
Some people—including people who probably know better—convince themselves that they do not have a problem with drugs or alcohol. This kind of denial can lead to worsening health outcomes and a host of other bad outcomes.
One way people convince themselves they are doing just fine is to keep moving the goalposts. You are moving the goalposts if you promise yourself you will get help if, for example, you ever miss work due to substance use and then miss work but do not get help. Instead, you set a near standard. You will get help if you ever get into a fight while under the influence. And then you get into a fight but do not get help. And so on.
It is a far better idea to be honest with yourself so that you can get help before something truly catastrophic happens in your life.
‘Even If I Do Have a Problem, I Can Quit Anytime’
No one likes to think they are not in control of their own life. That need to maintain at least the illusion of control can cause a person with a substance use disorder to let themselves believe they could give up drugs or alcohol any time they want to.
The truth, however, is that most people cannot give up substances once they have become reliant on them. Instead, they find themselves in a trap between the negative impact of the substances and the dire symptoms of withdrawal from those substances.
We consider this trap at more length in a post called “Get Free of the Substance Use Disorder Trap, but the long and short is this: it is unlikely that you are fully in control if you are using drugs or alcohol. Getting treatment, however, can put you back in control of your life.
‘I Have a Problem, But I Have to Keep It Secret’
Unfortunately, despite the fact that substance use disorders are a brain disease and not a result of poor character or something like that, those who struggle with drugs or alcohol still feel the sting of stigma.
As a result, a person might be well aware that they have a problem that they need to address but find that they are extremely worried about how other people in their life will react to the news. They might be concerned that their reputation will be permanently tarnished with their friends, family, coworkers, members of their faith community, and so on.
The desire to keep up appearances can be strong. But the ability to keep up appearances will fall away the longer a person uses drugs or alcohol. That means people are eventually going to find out. Ideally, whenever they learn the truth, the people in your life will support your efforts to get help.
Whether others are supportive or judgmental, it would be so much better for your overall well-being to pursue treatment early so that you can minimize the damage to your physical and mental health.
Meanwhile, we all have a responsibility to work to end the stigmatization of substance use disorders. You can read more about the history of stigmatization and how you can help put an end to it in Breaking the Cycle of Stigma: Promoting Understanding and Acceptance in Addiction Recovery.
The Best Time to Get Help? Right Now.
At The Farley Center, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, we provide personalized treatment for substance use disorders and for co-occurring mental health disorders. We rely on evidence-based treatment approaches informed by our high levels of experience and expertise. In addition, you will never encounter judgment at The Farley Center because we are committed to a spirit of empathy. Every person we help is treated with dignity and respect.
If you have read this post and recognized yourself as a person who is avoiding treatment for one of the reasons we have listed above, we urge you to set your concerns aside. Get the treatment you need to rebuild your life.
