Choosing to get clean from drugs is a huge step and it’s one you should take a lot of pride in making. Making this decision, moving forward with it, and sticking to it will improve your life and will help those around you. You’ll be more than an addict or a former addict — you’ll be an inspiration to yourself and to others.
We mean that too. There is power in choosing to retake your life back from addiction. It doesn’t matter what situation led you to this point, what matters is that you saw the necessity in getting clean and are actively trying to do so. It shows you’re still fighting, that you still have more to give, and you’re stronger than your addiction, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
Overcoming addiction is hard, there’s no way around that. But if you take that first step toward recovery, then the next one, and the next one, you’ll start to see the change. You’ll start to believe in yourself and become your own inspiration, as well as an inspiration for others who are going through the same thing. You become a beacon of hope, and an inspiring warning for your loved ones.
That is one of the greatest reasons to get clean. However, it’s not the only one. That’s what we wanted to focus on today at Direct2Recovery — concrete reasons why you should consider getting clean and sober.
It Will Better Your Finances
Addictions are expensive to fuel. According to Vice, the cost of addictions are astronomical:
- Cocaine Addiction Cost: Between $450 to $1,200 per day
- Prescription Drug Addiction Cost: Average $2,250 per month
- Alcohol Addiction Cost: $50 per day
- Heroin Addiction Cost: $375 per day
- Crack Addiction Cost: $225 per day
One way to factor in the cost is to break down the cost of an addiction by day, week, month, and year. By calculating the actual number of dollars thrown away on the addiction, the money becomes more tangible, more real. It forces you to ask yourself if spending that much is worth giving up everything else you and your family could have.
You could buy groceries. Pay rent. Pay bills. Buy a gift for your friend, child, or significant other. Buy something nice for yourself that you’ve been needing. Or you could save it or invest it to put it toward a future purchase, such as a down payment for a car or home.
Your Friends and Family
Addiction makes it almost impossible to maintain a healthy relationship with friends, family, and loved ones. Even if you’re still on good terms with your loved ones, they will feel strain in other areas. This is because addiction impacts so many areas of your life — your job, your ability to make decisions, your emotional restraint, your discipline and motivation, and your finances.
When it comes to your family, they feel it most. If you’re married, your spouse will notice the changes in your behaviors and notice the change in finances. If you’re a parent, your children will learn from you and pick on negative traits you may not even have noticed you developed. If you’re close with your parents, they’ll see the changes too.
The best reason to get clean is to become one of them: your family, the people who look up to you and rely on you. If you can’t be your best self for them and if you can’t be a good role model to your children, they will see it, feel it, mimic it, and resent it. You need to be the one that makes the positive change. Your family will support you through it; you just need to take the first step.
For friends, they’ll get hurt too. You may distance yourself from them, involve them in your addiction, or get angry at them if they notice your addiction. This is a common thing with addiction. Just like with your family, you will need to take the steps to make it right. Make them your reason for getting clean.
If you need another reason to get sober, think about what you owe to them and about all of the hard work they did to help you to get to this point. Do you want to thank them in a meaningful way? If so, work hard to stay sober.
You Deserve to Retake Your Life
Even if you don’t feel like it, you deserve your life back. Addiction does not own you. You own you. Become your own reason for getting clean and take back your confidence, find your passions again, and improve your self image. You deserve it.
Scientifically speaking, your addiction will make you think otherwise. This is because drugs can change your brain’s structure. They force you to believe that the drug is the only thing that matters. This simply is not true. You matter most.
When you break free from your addiction, you suddenly can experience life again. You’ll be able to see the beauty in the sunset, feel the joy of being around friends and family, and be yourself again. You’ll no longer need to make excuses for yourself. You no longer need to feel overwhelmed with what you did or did not do. And, you can feel more confident about the decisions you make.
All of this won’t happen overnight. It will take a lot of time and effort. But if you truly believe in yourself and want to take your life back, you can do it. We’ll help you get there. Give us a call when you’re ready to find your reason for taking your life back from addiction.
