Addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of age. And everyone has a different experience of addiction. It’s not uncommon to think that maybe it’s too late for you to recover from addiction. Maybe you’ve struggled with substance use for a long time. Maybe you’ve burned a lot of bridges, alienated people who cared about you, or even ended up in prison. Maybe you just feel old and figure it’s too late to change your life. Whatever makes you feel like it may be too late to recover from addiction is probably an illusion. Here’s why.
Recovery will always feel daunting.
It’s true that addiction recovery is much easier for some people. Teenagers–and psychopaths–for example, often don’t suffer from withdrawal symptoms when they first quit using. That makes recovery much easier because they are less reluctant to start. Also, the shorter your history of addiction, the easier it is quit. The groove isn’t so deep and so it’s easier to escape. Despite all this, the possibility of recovery often seems remote even to people with the best chance of success. That is to say, there is never a time when the thought of walking away from opioids, alcohol, cocaine, or whatever else forever seems easy. You never know whether you can succeed until you try and keep trying.
There is no cure for addiction.
You have probably heard that addiction is a chronic disease that can’t be cured, only managed. This might sound discouraging if your goal is to escape the influence of drugs and alcohol, but it doesn’t have to be. The reason is this: the person who stops drinking at 20 and the person who stops drinking at 60 are essentially in the same boat. Each has to stay sober for today, whether it’s her tenth day sober or her ten thousandth. Sobriety certainly gets easier as you go, but it’s never something you can take for granted.
Past failure does not predict future failure.
You may feel like it’s too late because you have tried to get sober in the past and failed. That can certainly be discouraging, but it’s important to remember that nearly everyone who has managed to stay sober for a long time has failed at least once. Sometimes it takes a little practice to figure out how to avoid pitfalls and stay on course. If you’ve failed in the past, you can learn from that experience and try again.
No one is perfect.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that since most of your life has been plagued by substance use, there’s no point in trying to recover now. This kind of thinking is letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. It’s true that you may have missed some opportunities, spoiled some relationships, or burned some bridges. Maybe your life will never be what you might have wanted, but it can be better.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental illness, we can help. Recovery Ways is a premier drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have the resources to effectively treat a dual diagnosis. Our mission is to provide the most cost-effective, accessible substance abuse treatment to as many people as possible. Request information online or call us today at 1-888-986-7848.
