We are what we think, and the way we think about things determines our attitudes.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." William Shakespeare
I am always surprised by the amount of resistance people have about getting help for a drug and alcohol problem. Many people seem to think that going to detox or treatment will somehow "mark" you as someone negative (and often its their families who feel this way), at the same time these people are OK with being drunk or stoned in public, causing all sorts of drama around their substance use, being incredibly unhappy, getting in trouble, at school or with the law etc ....somehow none of this is a big deal, but to ask for help ....... "what will people think?" ...........
We are still fighting the stigma that having a drug or alcohol problem is a mark against you. This thinking (perception) is one of the biggest barriers to getting help. We need to continually work on re-educating people and society that drug and alcohol problems are not reflective of a person being "bad" or are strictly a matter of not enough "will power". These problems are a very complicated bio-social problem that require professional help and compassion to correct.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." William Shakespeare
