The difficulty of staying sober for someone who is an addict is incredibly difficult right from the start. They are an addict and have to do everything within their power to attempt to stay away from whatever substance or substances they are addicted to. This becomes all the more challenging when other people they live with are using the substance that they have an addiction to. Perhaps this sounds like commonsense or perhaps not, but we want to explore some of the ways that living in a home with people who are using makes it that much harder.
The Allure Of Availability
It is often the case with an addict that part of their ability to resist their substance of choice is due to the fact that they intentionally make it unavailable to themselves. This is essentially the concept of “out of sight, out of mind” played out on an addict scale. Those who can keep their drug of choice away from themselves have a much better chance of not falling into a relapse.
Homes that have other people using the substance that one is addicted to are particularly dangerous. It might be easy to think that in theory, those are adults who are making their own choices, and you have the power to make your own choices as well, but it does not often work out this way. Peer pressure and the availability of the substance make it tempting to fall back into use.
Bargaining With Oneself
A big trap that many addicts fall into when they live in a home with other users is that they begin to bargain with themselves internally about their use of a particular substance. They start to argue in their own mind that it wouldn’t be so bad if they used “just a little bit”. They may even convince themselves that they are capable of managing their addiction this time and that they won’t go overboard. All of this sounds nice in the theory of course, but it is a practical impossibility.
The moment that an addict starts to use his or her drug of choice again is the moment that things start to go downhill. They are often not able to stop what they have begun, and it becomes increasingly apparent that they have relapsed and begun down the dark journey of their addiction once again. It is a scary situation that all too many addicts find themselves in.
How To Get Away From This Scenario
It is certainly not easy to get away from a home where other people are using. Someone might think that they could easily just move to another home, but of course, it is never as easy to do this as it is to think it. There are financial logistics that make it a lot harder for many addicts to move away from a home that they currently reside in.
Temporary fixes may include some of the following ideas:
- Ask Others Living There Not To Use Around You
- Distance Yourself From That Living Area As Much As Possible
- Take Up Additional Jobs Or Hobbies That Keep You Away From The Home
- Seek Government Assistance In Finding A New Place To Live
Those who are truly addicted know that they need to do what they need to do to get themselves out of these situations. There is no getting around it, and there is no avoiding the subject. It is best to try to get a handle on things before the temptation even arises to start using again.
Contact Us For Advice And Information
We are here to help anyone suffering from addiction. We have spoken with plenty of addicts in the past, and we understand how difficult it is for someone not to use when everyone else around them is doing exactly that. Our goal and our hope for everyone that we speak with is to provide them with some sound options to help with their particular situation. A few tips or pieces of advice is all that most people need to understand that they must get away from the living situation they find themselves in today and on to something more suitable for their particular situation.
Contact us at 844-639-8371 for more information about living with those who are still using and what one can do about it. It is one of the most important calls that you may ever make, and we know that it can be the answer you need to the problem of not feeling like you have anywhere to turn.