A big mistake that many people struggling with an alcohol addiction make is to wait for a ‘special day’ to come so they can give up the substance abuse. The problem with this approach is that you are likely to die before this ever happens. You do not wait for your circumstances to change so you can give up drinking – you give up drinking so that your circumstances are going to change for you.
Do You Need to Hit Rock Bottom to Break Away from Addiction?
One reason why you might feel the need to wait for a special day to stop the alcohol abuse is that you are waiting to hit rock bottom. There is some truth in the old idea that alcoholics usually need to hit this point before they feel willing to break away from addiction. This does not mean that you have to reach some special day when recovery is going to all fall into place – all rock bottom means is that you’ve decided you have had enough.
It is wrong to mistake hitting rock bottom with losing everything. It is also a mistake to assume that fireworks are going to go off when you reach this point. When you decide that you do not want to lose anything else to addiction, you have already reached this magical point. You can have a high rock bottom where you lose relatively little from your life due to addiction, or you can have a low rock bottom where you suffer a great deal; the choice is yours.
Falling Lower into Addiction Does Not Mean a Stronger Sobriety
There is a myth that says if individuals fall low enough into addiction, they will suffer so much that it will give them the motivation to build a great recovery. The reality is that the longer you remain addicted, the harder it can be for you to recover. Eventually you are going to cross a line, and after this point, it will no longer be possible for you to enjoy a full recovery. This is what happens if you develop end-stage liver failure or alcohol dementia. By continuing to drink alcohol, you are going to be taking a huge risk.
Today is the Special Day When You Can Give up Alcohol
The best possible time for you to give up drinking is yesterday, but the best you can do is to stop today. By giving up alcohol now, you can stop losing things from your life, and you can begin to build a better future. You have a choice – do you want your life to get better or do you want things to deteriorate steadily until you reach the point of no return?
It might not always seem this way to you, but alcohol addiction involves a downward spiral. This means that things steadily worsen over time. You are going to have some days that are better than others are but overall things are getting worse. If this deterioration is not obvious to you, it is because it happens slowly and the denial of addiction gives you a false sense of optimism about your future.
If you wait any longer to break away from alcohol, you will be taking a huge gamble. If you are not willing to take steps to end your addiction today, what makes you think that you are going to be more willing in the future? The truth is that the process of alcoholism is likely to keep sucking away at your motivation, self-worth, and self-efficacy, meaning that it may be even harder for you to stop later on.
