Nearly five weeks ago I met a twenty-one-year-old woman named Rachael who is bipolar and who is also alcohol and drug dependent. I have read that under such circumstances, an individual needs to get treatment for both medical situations and that mental health problems and chemical dependency many times occur in the same individual. Additionally, I recollect hearing that a history of excessive and careless drinking, drug abuse, and/or mental health concerns often take place in the same family.
Plainly, Rachael is so defeated by both of her medical conditions that she in essence has little or no enthusiasm to achieve much of anything. What is especially sad about this is that earlier in her life, Rachael finished two years of college. Rachael’s situation makes me wonder if she is an example of an individual who has to hit the bottom of the barrel before he or she gets drug and alcohol counseling that leads to long lasting sobriety.
The Need For a Physician She Trusts and a Treatment Protocol She Can Believe In
If I were in contact with Rachael I could recommend several websites and blogs that could possibly help her locate info about addiction and alcoholic behavior, important chemical dependency information, facts about alcoholism and drugs, and info about addiction symptoms and alcoholism warning signs. In my opinion, nevertheless, Rachael needs to find a psychologist she trusts and a rehab regimen she can believe in and follow over the long term. I could be incorrect but it seems to make sense that Rachael more likely than not needs to accept the fact that she cannot drink at all or abuse drugs if she wants to get sober, stay sober, and start on the route to long-lasting sobriety.
I am mindful that there are a number of newly discovered doctor-prescribed drugs that can help Rachael through the drug and alcohol detox process, through her withdrawal symptoms, and help her avoid a drug or an alcohol relapse. Clearly it would be in Rachael’s best interests if she knew about these drugs.
It is clear that Rachael needs to acknowledge the fact that there is utterly nothing positive about excessive and hazardous drinking and drug addiction and that engaging in one or both circumstances is the path to poor work and school performance, shattered relationships, legal problems, financial difficulties, a premature death, and deteriorating health.
The Significance of Support Groups Like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous
There are reasonably a lot of persons such as family members, other individuals, and friends who would like to help Rachael but she probably would experience greater sympathy from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous rather than listening to individuals who drink responsibly or who have never used drugs.
When People Accomplish Things They Like and About Which They Are Zealous
There’s a school of thought that emphasizes that people who do things they love and something about which they are dedicated arrive at an astonishing place in life. In other words, when people do what they enjoy, they almost never experience an uneventful life or boredom. If they get involved in something that is enjoyable, what is more, they become more whole and experience more contentment and joy in life.
To me, this sounds quite a bit different from a life that is rooted in alcohol and drug addiction because such a lifestyle removes the contentment and delight that life has to offer.
Since Rachael doesn’t have the resolve to do much of anything in her life, it is plain to see that she urgently needs some hope for a better existence. And the unfortunate thing is that hope is virtually everywhere around Rachael if she could only get to the place in life to get the treatment she needs for her mental illness and addiction and remain in her treatment protocol.
A Wonderful Life, Self Respect, and Constructive Change Are Possibilities
Rachael is simply too young to be crushed in life. She doesn’t realize this at the moment but if she can learn how to remove herself from alcohol and drugs via alcohol and drug therapy and get the counseling she needs for her manic depression condition, she can reorient her life and start living with self-respect, passion, and direction.
Positive change, self esteem, and a meaningful life are certainly a reality for Rachael if only she could get motivated to get the medical rehabilitation she requires, follow through with her treatment regimen, live her life in a healthy and addiction-free manner, and develop a more positive attitude about life.