Deciding to seek the help of an LDS counselor for an addiction is difficult. First, you must admit to yourself that you have a problem and then you must admit that you need the help of a professional counselor to overcome your addiction. No matter what the addiction is – sex, pornography, alcohol, illegal narcotics – therapy can give you hope for the future. Unfortunately, many people who have addiction problems don’t seek help from an LDS counselor for a variety of reasons that include:
✦ Denial
Denial is the most common reason that addicts don’t seek help. It’s also a first reaction when an addict is confronted by others about their addiction. Addicts are often so entrenched in their addiction that it’s easy for them to deny they have a problem. In fact, they can often fool themselves into believing they don’t have a problem.
✦ Control
Admitting a need for help can be difficult for addicts who see treatment as a loss of control. People with addictive personalities are often manipulators who seek to control others and for people with those control issues, treatment for addiction is usually far down on their list of priorities. Even when they’re confronted by friends or family, they will likely deny that there is a problem or they may say the problem is under control.
✦ Fear
Entering treatment for an addiction takes a lot of determination and courage, which are two qualities that addicts sometimes lack. Fear of detoxification or withdrawal, fear of opening up in therapy or even fear of the unknown about therapy can deter addicts from seeking help.
✦ Self-Pity
Feeling that no one around them cares about them, especially if they’ve alienated family and friends, can keep addicts from getting help. Having a support system can be extremely important for anyone entering treatment and when that doesn’t exist, the addict can think that they have no reason to bother getting help for their problem.
✦ Stigma
Often denial of a problem is attached to the stigma of needing to “go into rehab.” Whether it’s real or not, the idea that society treats addicts with contempt, even when they’re seeking treatment, can weigh heavily on the mind of an addict thinking about therapy.
✦ Desire To Die
There are many reasons an addict may continue an addiction that is life-threatening. If they’ve lost contact with friends and family, lost hope that treatment can help or don’t have a reason to turn their lives around, addicts may not seek help because they see a slow death caused by their addictions as a form of self-punishment.
When you decide to seek help for an addiction problem, call the best LDS counselor, Jody VanDrimmelen at Insight Child & Family Counseling, at (972) 426-9500. Visit www.j9n.83e.myftpupload.com to get answers to your questions about therapy for addiction.