Addiction all too often ends in suicide.
While it may feel like an easy solution, simply walking away from an addictive substance is anything but— But the result is worth the work.
It's more than not buying, not using, not participating in whatever you're addicted to— as Dr. Charletta Dennis, Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Priority Health reminds us— it takes undoing what's often years of powerful, ingrained habits.
Isn't addiction something that only happens to people with mental health issues?
Nope. There's no evidence substance use disorder and mental health issues are directly related. There are instances where a person has both, but one doesn't cause the other.
OK— but if they really wanted to stop, they would.
Think about how long it took you to abandon your New Year's Resolution. Now add an internal, unyielding need for more and more of whatever that habit is, coming from deep inside your mind. Addiction wires the brain, training it to seek out only what brings the next dose of dopamine.
What's even more crushing is substance use can actually push away the connections you need to create a sense of safety and belonging integral to human psychology, leading many to consider suicide.
So what's the solution? Knowledge, consistency, and connection— easier said than done, but you can do this.
First, recognize (whether in yourself or someone you love) addiction is not a choice, it's a disease— one wrought by a million little things that get synapses firing and create pathways in the brain, guiding you to blindly want that substance.
Second, get help. Create a support system that works for you and helps you rewrite those neural pathways to seek out healthy, connection-sustaining habits. You can talk to your doctor, call 988, or search for addiction services in your area. Priority Health members can find help for opioid and other addictions here.
Third— and most importantly— stay with it. You deserve the happiness that will come from all the hard work you're doing to shed your addiction.
And if you or a loved one are struggling with substance use and thoughts of suicide, call 988 right now. You are not alone.
If think someone you love is in danger, call 911 immediately.
