Growing Up With Addiction – Your History Is Not Your Destiny
Growing up is an experience you sometimes wish you could forget. After school was out each day, your friends went home to families they could count on. You went home to a big question mark every day. Would someone be home to cook supper? Would you have to shut yourself in your bedroom to escape the fighting and the drinking? How many different times would you be blamed for things you didn’t do?
You really don’t want that kind of life as an adult, but you have fears of getting sucked into an addiction like your parents did. How can you build a different life for yourself with this kind of family history?
Take An Honest Look At Your Life
First, take a look at yourself. You need to identify any areas of your life that take you in the wrong direction – a dead-end job, social isolation, financial troubles, etc. Anything like this can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress can make people reach out for desperate solutions just to cope with each day. The temporary escape of intoxication may be the only sense of relief they feel.
To avoid this pitfall, identify your problem areas and get a handle on them right away. Focus on your financial issues, your social connections, or whatever is pulling you down. If you can become more satisfied with your reality, you won’t need a desperate escape like drugs or alcohol. Also, stay away from chronic negativity to keep your mind healthy.
What Really Happened In Your Family
Getting to the truth can be tough when it involves drugs and alcohol. But honesty is essential when you need to keep a healthy lifestyle. Do your best to identify the biggest problems your family members had with drugs or alcohol. The better you can understand the cycles of addiction and chaos in your family, the better you can understand your own blind spots and possible triggers.
For example, conflict between your dad and your grandpa may have played a big part in your dad’s alcoholism. If you also have a conflictual relationship with your family, you need to pay attention to this. Chronic generational family stress can be slow to change, particularly when it involves addiction.
If nobody in your family ever went to drug treatment or alcohol rehab, you might be fighting an uphill battle. You may need to distance yourself from family conflict if you feel like this could be a trigger for chronic stress and negativism.
Keep Looking Forward But Don’t Forget History
If you spend too much time looking backwards, you might miss out on the joys of the present moment. But with a family history of addiction, you need to remember how your family’s troubles developed. Use this knowledge to keep you on a positive healthy path. Stay on track and you won’t need to worry about alcoholism or drug addiction knocking you down.
