Uncertainty Can Lead To Addiction

Some people may call it excessive worrying. Others may call it a fear of uncertainty. Medical professionals may generalize the condition as an anxiety disorder. It comes down to that you feel stressed out by the uncertainty of life, and that uncertainty can lead you to act in a way that you may not have under different circumstances.

Uncertainty can be just about one thing, or it can be about everything. You may feel uncertain about how people think about your appearance when you are out in public or if your spouse still loves you. You may just be overwhelmed with all of the chaos in the world and feel uncertain that you can even cope with all of the bad news.

While there are therapies that can help this type of anxiety, many people do not seek treatment for this problem but instead self-medicate. One of the leading causes of addiction is overwhelming anxiety about something in that person’s life.

Addiction And Uncertainty

When the fear of uncertainty in your life has gone past the manageable stage and has led to an addiction, there is help available. Many people assume that drug rehabilitation-only addresses a dependency on alcohol or drugs. A good substance abuse recovery center will also address the issues causing the addiction and help the patient manage those issues as well.

In drug rehab, this is known as a dual diagnosis. This means there is an addiction present and an underlying issue fueling that addiction. When a patient has been properly identified as having a dual diagnosis, the right form of treatment can begin.

With the help of their substance abuse counselor, a person in drug rehab can start to overcome the physical and emotional addiction to the substance. As this part of the treatment progresses, the counselor will start addressing the other issues, such as anxiety, that have led to the addiction. This way, the patient can begin to learn how to manage these emotions and overcome this problem, along with their addiction.

Managing Uncertainty

One of the keys to managing uncertainty is being very honest with yourself. You must be able to stop when you are feeling anxious and ask yourself if worrying about the issue is really worth all of your time and effort.

For example, you must ask yourself if there is really anything that you can do if the situation you are worried about does not work out as you have planned. Most of the time, the answer is: yes. Knowing that there is a solution to a problem should one arise empowers you and allows you to release that anxiety.

If the answer is no, on the rare occasion this could happen, then you must be able to make peace with that answer. Many times allowing yourself to accept the failed outcome gives you more relief than getting a positive outcome. Tell yourself that it is okay; the sun will still come up tomorrow.

While this may seem an oversimplified way of dealing with this type of anxiety, sometimes simple is the best answer. One of the things that you will learn during addiction recovery is how to respect yourself again. And that includes respecting your decisions. If you respect your decision that “yes, there is a solution if this doesn’t work out” or “no, I will have to move on if this doesn’t work out,” you will begin to feel better about everything.

Tomorrow Is Always A New Day

One of the best things that you learn while in a substance abuse recovery center is that tomorrow is always a new day. Today may have been hard, frustrating, or sad, but tomorrow is a new day and a chance to make it the best day ever. If you had a relapse, you have a new day to succeed. If you have been upset or upset by uncertainty, you know the sun will rise tomorrow, and you will have a chance to start again. It is a beautiful realization to learn.

Everything in life comes with a bit of uncertainty. You can learn how to manage this uncertainty so that you can live a life free from anxiety and substance abuse.