Whether it's alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs, addiction is difficult to overcome - but it's possible and worth the effort.
Up-and-coming writer Karl (fictitious name), in his early 20s, equated the writer's enchanting life with drinking.
Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald and more modern writers were all known drunks. If it helped them, why not help me? " he thought.
But he didn't get the results he wanted when he got drunk. Words didn’t flow and, to boot, he realized that his relationship with drinking and writing had isolated him from the rest of society.
Because he was “too good” to find a job, and became an alcoholic, Karl began flipping through a handbook for admission to law school and in the beginning did not look for an occupation for which he could use his professional writing skills. Instead, he worked as a taxi driver and, by chance, an assistant editor at a publishing house, in order to somehow make ends meet.
Until he started attending Alcoholics Anonymous (A. A.) meetings, Karl did not realize how he was destroying himself - drinking with his passengers in a taxi, and then calling the editor, pretending to be sick, coping with a hangover and drinking water. thirsty.
When Karl was sober, he liked himself much more, and he was filled with some sense of belonging to the world around him.
“I started to give my all at work, not putting aside my energy into a great life as a writer,” says Karl, now 50. He says that changing his attitude towards alcohol has opened up a lot of opportunities for him. He was promoted to the position of editor, and one of his stories, which he dabbled in hobby, even won a literary award.
This story is not too different from others, in which addiction, or even an obsession with something - in Karl's case, alcohol - controls their behavior and attitude towards life.
Addicts need to satisfy their desire, and this need goes above other responsibilities, including work, according to the American Society for the Treatment of Addiction.
This disrespect for duty can be costly to society. According to research conducted by the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse, alcohol and drug abuse cost the United States economy $ 276.3 billion in 1995, resulting in decreased productivity, increased accidents, absenteeism (absenteeism, absenteeism), job turnover and healthcare costs.
This picture is likely to worsen when one considers the cost of pain, suffering, and all that is affected by addicts.
According to research by the Illinois Addiction Treatment Institute, up to 3% of the US population is dependent on gambling, up to 3% on food, up to 8% on waste, and up to 5% on sex.
Here are some symptoms of addiction:
- Strong sense of alienation
- Weak social interaction
- Reducing time for personal hygiene
- A large number of legal problems
- Changes in eating and sleeping habits
- Increased irritability
- Unwillingness to get rid of obsessive behavior
In the workplace, addiction symptoms are prominent. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that workers who are drug abusers are more late, absent from work, more likely to use sickness benefits, apply for work compensation, and get into incidents.
For those who think they might have an addiction problem, Brown recommends the following steps:
- See your GP for evaluation or get a referral to a specialist.
- Keep in mind that there are many organizations that can help you get rid of addiction, such as psychologists, social workers, physicians who specialize in addiction treatment, and private and non-profit programs.
- Think back to the first time you became addicted, and try to avoid the place, objects, and people associated with it.
- If your job includes certain activities that made you feel addicted for the first time, it is worth considering other job options.
Photo: Photomish Dan flickr.com/photomishdan
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