The Self-Hate at the Root of Our Problems
When we develop certain addictive patterns, it is because we are trying to escape parts of ourselves. Our self-rejection can manifest in all kinds of destructive ways, including our addictions, but frequently going much further. Consider the ways we self-sabotage in our daily lives, how we hold ourselves back, and how we regularly sacrifice the health and happiness we deserve. We often aren’t conscious of how deep our insecurities have grown, and how much they’ve been festering over the years. Our wounded sense of self-worth is never given a chance to heal. Instead, we’ve been making things worse with our addictive patterns. This personal shame fuels our addiction, and we reject the parts of ourselves that we don’t think are good enough.
Escaping Our Insecurities
When we use our drug of choice, we’re avoiding the parts of ourselves that we want to escape. When we’re high, we no longer feel the crushing weight of our insecurities. We feel lighter, more confident, more carefree. Our fears of inadequacy and inferiority are temporarily soothed. Sadly, we’re not actually healing these deeply rooted, very debilitating fears. Instead, we’re simply covering them up and distracting ourselves from them. All the while, we’re becoming sicker and less in tune with our wellbeing. The wounds are still there, and they still need our attention. As we continue to neglect our healing work, they grow deeper and more painful.
Becoming More Self-Rejecting For Being Addicts
We often become even more self-rejecting over time because we feel increasingly bad about ourselves for being addicts. We compare ourselves to sober people, who seem happier and more peaceful, and we feel inferior to them. At our lowest points, we feel certain we’ll never measure up. Instead of chasing solutions, we look at our failures. All we can see is how our addictions have held us back and brought us down. The happiness and success of other people become unbearably awful to behold. We feel more and more unfulfilled, especially as we retreat into our addictive patterns for solace.
Recovering from our addictions means learning how to embrace all our parts without rejecting and abandoning ourselves. As we heal, we learn to love and accept ourselves unconditionally. This self-love includes compassion for all our mistakes, including our addictions. The caring staff of The Guest House is here to support you as you start your journey to recovery and healing. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.