Electing Help on Election Day

Some cynics say that elections don’t mean anything. They say that they don’t want to participate in Election Day because it doesn’t matter if they go to the polls or cast absentee ballots.

But elections do mean something. We always have choices and opportunities to improve our lives and improve the lives of our families, friends, and community members.

Our choices aren’t limited to elections. If we’re struggling with an addiction or our loved ones are struggling, we could be searching for ways to help.

Because even though people say that addiction itself is a choice, it isn’t. It’s really a disease. Who would willingly enter a situation (and stay in a situation) that has the potential to destroy everything good in their lives?

If we’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, while our situation may seem hopeless, we do still have choices.

Some of these choices could include:

• Staying at inpatient addiction treatment facilities.
• Visiting health centers as part of intensive outpatient treatment programs.
• Participating in individual or group therapy with experienced professionals
• Attending meetings of sobriety groups.

Often, people choose more than one of these options to become sober and stay sober.

In fact, staying sober requires constant choices. Although addiction is a disease that doesn’t have a cure, it can be managed. Managing addiction often involves dealing with people, places, and things that trigger the addiction.

While people didn’t choose their triggers or addictions, they can choose how they deal with them. They might be able to avoid these triggers entirely. They might opt to move to a new home away from the places they once bought and used drugs.

People might opt to address triggers that they can’t avoid entirely. If visiting their family creates stress that prompted them to use drugs or alcohol in the past, people can schedule appointments with their therapists before the family visits to discuss their feelings and learn healthy ways of handling their stress.

Whether it’s choosing a leader or opting for addiction care, we’re lucky to have choices that can improve our lives.

Sources

vote.org – Vote.org

sunshinebehavioralhealth.com – Inpatient Drug Rehab Centers | Top Inpatient Rehab

teens.drugabuse.gov – What Triggers a Relapse? “Cues Give Clues”