Stop Feeling Guilty for Being a Recovering Alcoholic

Many people assume that those with addictions are bad people. They have a stereotype in their mind of what an addict is, which is often a layabout who does not work or lives on the streets. They fail to realise that addiction can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender and social background.

Alcoholism, for example, is an issue that many individuals all across the UK deal with on a daily basis. Many of these people are high-functioning alcoholics who go to work every day and who are still providing for their families, despite the fact that they have developed a dependency on alcohol.

Alcoholics are not always bad people; however, many recovering alcoholics believe themselves to be bad. They are wracked with guilt about their past behaviour and, in many cases, this guilt begins to eat away at them. It is important that recovering alcoholics learn to let go of the guilt they are feeling and to remember that they are not bad – they may have done some bad things while addicted, but that does not make them a bad person.

Alcoholism is an Illness

It is important to remember that nobody chooses to be an alcoholic. No one in the world would choose to be so addicted to a substance that it becomes the only thing they can think about until it begins to destroy their lives and the lives of the people around them. The truth is that alcoholism is an illness just as the flu or shingles are illnesses. Those affected by alcoholism are no worse than the individuals hit by the flu or shingles.

Alcoholism is an illness that affects the brain. Those who do bad things while under the influence of alcohol do so because of the way that alcohol has affected their brain. Even small amounts of alcohol are enough to affect the workings of the brain. Those who drink alcohol find that their judgement is often compromised. Feelings and emotions are also affected long before speech begins to slur and movement is impaired.

Inappropriate Behaviour
Alcohol often affects people’s ability to determine what is right and wrong. In some cases, those under the influence of alcohol may have some idea that something is wrong but they will ignore it and carry on regardless. Alcoholics often act aggressively or display inappropriate sexual urges. This type of behaviour is completely different to the way the person acts when sober.

Violence is often displayed by alcoholics, and domestic abuse is quite common in homes where one person suffers from alcohol addiction.

You are Not a Bad Person

It is important to remember that alcoholics have no control over the way they act. As mentioned above, they have developed an addiction to a substance that alters the way their brain works. If you are in recovery from alcohol addiction, you may be feeling guilty about the way you behaved when under the influence of alcohol. This is natural but there is no need to keep beating yourself up about it. As long as you can make amends with those you have wronged, you should be able to move forward and begin enjoying your life again.

You do not need to wallow in guilt for the rest of your life. You are not a bad person because you were alcoholic. Feeling guilty will only drag you back down and prevent you from making the most of your new sober life. Provided you stay clean, you can be sure you will never hurt anyone in that way again. All you can do is show your loved ones how sorry you are.

Get FREE Help & Advice Today, Please contact us for information on Alcohol rehab as well as drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic. Call now for the best addiction help in the UK

Source : [ Middlegate Blog]

The Importance of Addiction Treatment for Pregnant Women

Addiction is a continuing problem all across the UK. It affects people of all ages, gender, and social economic background. The majority of those with addiction will require treatment to get better, but many continue their destructive path for a number of years before considering getting help. A large number of addicts are fearful of rehabilitation and they will refuse to accept help. It is only when faced with a life or death situation or an ultimatum from family members that the affected individual will consider rehabilitation as an option. Many women with addictions cannot, or will not, even stop upon discovering they are pregnant; this is because the compulsion is just too strong and they are not in the right frame of mind to consider the wellbeing of the new life growing inside them.

However, some women will want to do all they can for their unborn baby and will try to get help when they find out they are pregnant.

How Will the Unborn Baby Be Affected?
Many pregnant women who have been heavily using drugs or alcohol before finding out they are pregnant will worry about how their baby will be affected. This will usually depend on how heavily the mother has been using drugs or alcohol as well as the type of drugs or alcohol being used. Although the growing baby can be affected by drug and alcohol use, there is also a chance that the baby will be born healthy, especially if the mother can get treatment as soon as possible and spend the rest of her pregnancy in sobriety.

What Treatments are Available?

One of the problems pregnant addicts face is the fact that many of the treatments available to non-pregnant addicts are unsuitable for those carrying a child. If the pregnant woman has a severe addiction, the treatments that would typically be offered would be far too intensive for use during pregnancy.

Detox, for example, can be extremely dangerous for pregnant women. If the woman has been addicted to opioid substances such as heroin or some type of prescription medication, she could suffer serious withdrawal symptoms including seizures and even heart attacks.

Many treatment centres do not offer treatment to pregnant women because they do not want the liability of caring for such a complex case. Nevertheless, there are organisations where pregnant addicts can receive the help needed. Middlegate Addiction Help is a free service with information and advice on where pregnant addicts can find suitable treatments in their area.

It is important for pregnant women to get help as soon as possible as the earlier a woman can quit addiction within a pregnancy, the greater the chance of her baby being born healthy.

Things to Consider

When a woman discovers she is pregnant, many thoughts typically run through her head such as whether or not she is ready to become a mother. For an addict, there may be many more things to consider. It is essential that she has a good place to live and that she can financially support the child, either with or without the father involved.

If medical professionals have advised you that your baby is likely to be healthy and if you believe you can provide your child with a good home and upbringing, then you should continue with your pregnancy and get the treatment you need to stay sober. You will need plenty of support throughout from family and medical professionals. Middlegate can put you in touch with a suitable organisation but can also provide you with support and advice as and when you need it. Call today to see how we can help you.


If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london rehab clinics as well as greater london drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.

This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here

How Rehabilitation May Be Sabotaged by the Addict

Getting an addict to accept that he or she needs help for their problem can be tough. Many do not want to hear from loved ones that they need professional treatment for an illness they do not think they have. Some will become aggressive or defensive at the mere mention of addiction while others will just avoid getting into any discussion that revolves around drinking or taking drugs.

However, there will come a time when family members can break down the defences of their loved one and may be finally able to get through to him or her. This is generally when the addict is open to the idea of a sober life; this often occurs after behaving badly or while suffering from a bad hangover. During these periods, it may be possible to get a loved one to agree to get help for addiction.

This can seem like a monumental victory for family members; they have finally managed to get their addicted loved one to get help and for them it seems as if life is about to get back on track. If you are in this situation, it is important that your loved one has agreed to get help for the right reasons and not just to get you off his or her back.

Fear of Failure

Your loved one may be reluctant to enter rehab for fear of failing. He or she may not want to get help for addiction and, if they feel as though they have been forced to attend, they may do everything in their power to sabotage their treatment. Below we have listed a few ways in which treatment can be sabotaged by an addict:

1. The addict spends his or her time doing anything other than getting help for the problem. This could be playing video games, texting friends, surfing the web, or watching TV.

2. The addict pretends to pay attention when really he or she is just going through the motions with the counsellor to keep family members happy.

3. The addict is resentful of the fact that he or she is in rehabilitation instead of being with drug-taking or drinking friends and is unwilling to put in any effort.

4. The addict wallows in self-pity and fails to commit to the programme of rehabilitation. He or she blames others for the way life has turned out instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

5. The addict acts as if he or she knows better than the counsellors who have been trained to help them.

6. The addict spends his or her days glamorising the past when they were drinking or taking drugs.

Can You Help an Addict Who Doesn’t Want Help?
It is important that your loved one understands that treatment could save his or her life. You cannot force a loved one to get help for addiction no matter how much you want to. Unless you can get through to them about how rehabilitation is in his or her best interests, you could be fighting a losing battle.

You may want to get a qualified therapist or counsellor to speak to your loved one about the benefits of treatment. Taking him or her to a rehab centre where they can see how the programme works may be the solution. Your loved one must be ready to make a change in order to get the most from treatment.

Be realistic in your expectations and remember that this may not be the right time for your loved one to enter rehab. If you force the issue, you could find that this person is simply biding his or her time until he or she can get back to feeding their addiction.

If you need help in the london area, then please contact us for information on the latest information on places in london rehab clinics as well as greater london drug rehabs, Through our alcohol rehab clinic.

This article originally published at Middlegate Blog here