We are quick to point fingers in many situations when we make a mistake, when something goes wrong, or when someone ends up hurt. We’ve all been here. How about the time you stopped for coffee in the morning before work and turned around—not looking—and bumped right into someone, spilling a full cup of coffee down your shirt. It’s easy to get angry at that person when really it was your own fault for not paying attention.
This exact same thing happens when someone blames others for our drinking problem. Alcoholics will blame others by saying they drink because of someone else or something else. In reality, we are each responsible for our own actions, bottom line. If you abuse alcohol and try to blame others, you will never be able to treat the addiction and recover properly. You must confront the problem head on, figure out why it exists, and seek help in order to become sober and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Alcoholism is a disease, and along with it comes denial. Rather than admitting to themselves they have a problem that has become out of control, they may say something along the lines of, “I drink because this person or this thing stresses me out.” Often, they know the truth, which is more like, “I drink because I am self-medicating and I am out of control.”
Despite the fact that alcoholics can live in denial about their own drinking problem, it doesn’t mean they are at fault for it. There are many reasons why people become alcoholics, maybe they’ve experienced a traumatic event, or they can’t properly deal with stress and challenging situations without turning to alcohol for comfort. The root cause of the problem is something rehab will explore and treat.
One of the most challenging aspects of alcoholism is that no one can force one to stop drinking but themselves. Most of the time, people know when they are hurting themselves or others, which makes alcoholism hard to watch. We want to do everything we can to make someone stop, but we can’t. Even if we could prevent them from drinking for a short period of time, we can’t control them forever. The alcoholic must learn how to control anger, frustration, irritation, and stress without having to turn to alcohol. This is why it’s important to seek professional help when treating such a complex disease such as addiction.
Call LEAD Recovery’s expert staff for professional advice at 800-380-0012.
