In a recent blog entry, we considered some ideas about substance use disorders and recovery that some people stubbornly insist are true—even though they are not.
As we pointed out in that entry, this is a common enough problem in all of our lives. Once a person comes to believe something is true, it can be mighty hard to convince them otherwise. Even people who pride themselves on their open-mindedness can find themselves falling into a trap known as confirmation bias.
Sometimes this tendency to stick to a belief even in the face of contradictory evidence is not that big of a deal. But other times, real and possibly devastating consequences can result from adhering to a belief that simply is not true. Information about substance use disorders certainly falls into this category.
So in this series of entries, we are on a quest to replace wrong ideas with right information. This is our area of expertise, after all. Let us set the record straight when it comes to a few myths that are all too prevalent—and all too dangerous.
You are experiencing too much success to have a substance use problem! WRONG
It is only natural to look at a person who seems to have everything going for them and conclude that they must not be facing any challenges. That kind of thinking can extend to the idea that if a person is doing well in life, then they must not be struggling with drugs or alcohol.
You might even be tempted to extend this kind of thinking to your own life.
Maybe everything is going well at work. You are making decent money and working your way up through the ranks. So you must not have a drinking problem, right?
Maybe your family life is strong. Your kids are doing well in school and you and your partner are generally in sync. So your recreational drug use must not be that big of a deal, right?
Maybe you are admired in your community. You are an avid volunteer or you serve on prestigious boards or you are a leader in your faith community. So the fact that you have been taking more of your prescription painkiller than your doctor prescribed must be working out okay, right?
You know what comes next, right? The proposition that these various kinds of success indicate you do not have a problem with drugs or alcohol is wrong, wrong, wrong.
As tempting as it is to believe this myth, it is a particularly dangerous one that can cause a person to delay getting help for a developing substance use disorder. The moment to seek out treatment is the moment you have an inkling you might have a problem. Don’t talk yourself out of getting help because other areas of your life are going well—and don’t forget that eventually drugs and alcohol will undermine your successes if you don’t address the problem immediately and effectively.
If a drug was unsafe, it wouldn’t be legal! WRONG
We briefly addressed this idea above when we wrote about misuse of prescription painkillers. And you would think that no one who has even a passing knowledge of the opioid epidemic, statistics related to drunk driving, or the health problems related to smoking could possibly conclude that “legal” and “safe” are synonymous.
Nevertheless, this idea still has traction in the world, perhaps because people simply wish it were true. But it isn’t.
For example, the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that each year, 16 million people over the age of 12 in the United States misuse prescription drugs. Two million of those individuals have developed a substance use disorder centered on a drug their doctor prescribed for their use.
That means that despite the miracles of modern medicine, despite the outsized role alcohol plays in our society, and despite the ongoing movement to legalize marijuana, it is essential to remember that any drug can become a problem. Staying vigilant about how—and how much of—a legal substance you are using is important to maintaining your well-being and avoiding the development of a substance use disorder.
We’re Telling You True: French Creek Can Help You Get Sober
There is a lot of misinformation in the world—and we have more facts to share in another entry—but you can count on us to tell you the truth about substance use disorders, treatment, and recovery.
After all, at French Creek Recovery Center—located in Meadville, Pennsylvania—we know this is true: We can help you reclaim your sobriety and your life. We provide evidence-based, personalized care that includes medically supervised detoxification, a rehabilitation program that also addresses co-occurring mental health disorders, and a continuum of care that offers ongoing support as your recovery journey gets underway.