Pushing Your Loved Ones Away

Why Your Addiction Causes This

Do you find yourself pushing your loved one’s away? Does it ever feel like your addiction is just too mean and too ugly to let the world see, so you get mad when those you love the most get too close to what’s going on in your life? You might feel like a pretty horrible person because of this, but it’s not you, it’s your addiction. In fact, for many who battle an addiction, the tendency to push everyone away because you simply don’t want to have to talk about the bad things going on in your life is pretty common. You push and your family responds in kind.

Why you’re pushing your loved ones away

You might not even notice it so much, but the last time the person you loved the most approached your addiction, how did you respond to him. Did you get defensive? Start to yell at him? Tell him it’s none of his business or tell him that he had no idea what he was talking about? Yeah, you probably did a little bit – or all of these things – and maybe even more. This is what happens when you’re battling an addiction. You instinctively push your loved ones away for many reasons. Take the fact that you really don’t want them to see you at your worst. When you’re strung out and feeling horrible you don’t want them to see you because you know in your heart you’re in a really bad place. When you think you’re trying but your friends and family members can see that it’s not enough, you push them away. Your addiction makes you feel like you don’t need anyone or anything but the source of your addiction. It makes you feel like you’re invincible when you’re indulging, and it makes you feel like all you need is more when you’re not.

All you need is to get high – right?

Now, you might think that all you really need is to get high, right? Not so, but your addiction – your love for substances or alcohol – has you pretty well convinced. For many, addiction is like a hot romance. You love your addiction so much that you’re ready to give it all up just as long as you can be with the source of your addiction forever. It warms you up when you’re cold, soothes your heart when it’s aching and takes you to places that keep you safe. Not having to think about bad things or cope with hard feelings is really powerful, and it’s part of the reason you’re pushing your loved ones away, but it doesn’t have to be. Your addiction causes a lot of heartaches, and in your better moments, you probably see what it does to you. Overcoming it for good is the only true way to release the hold it has on you, this can be done by reaching out to an addiction rehab center for alcohol and drugs.

Medical disclaimer:

Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.

Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals.