One of the greatest problems which friends and family members of drug addicts find is the loss of their loved one in more than one sense. While the addict is seeking help or abusing their drug of choice, they are not just in physical and emotional danger from their disease. They also suffer from a loss of self-identity. This loss of personal identity occurs when the individual forgets who they were in the past and turn their focus inward, usually using negative and destructive thoughts and actions, thus changing their present behaviour. The mismatch between who they are now and who they were in the past is rarely recognized by them and if they do recognize it, they see it as just another failure and tend to lose hope.
Self-identification, while it changes and therefore hurts those closest to the addict, impacts the individual the most. When someone does not realize who they are and what they are, even as an addict but also simply their core humanness, they become lost and are very similar to a bit of fluff which is being tossed about by the wind.
Alcoholics sit at the end of a bar and bemoan what they have become and glorify who they were in the past. Many listeners, especially those who do not frequent bars very often, may believe that the drunk in question is describing the difference between who they are now and who they were twenty or so years ago. However, in reality, they can be describing who they were last month. Loss of a sense of time and this distorted perception make even one month of binge drinking seem like a lifetime.
Drug abuse has varying characteristics, depending upon the drug in question. However, the mentality and lack of faith in oneself is overwhelming and continues to define how the individual sees themselves. Avoid this from happening in your workplace by using onsite drug and alcohol testing for your business. This cuts down on cost, helps you to evaluate how often your employees are abusing, and creates an environment of safety and peace on the jobsite. Call Mediscreen today: (+61) 1300 79 70 40.
