Is a Drug User Trying to Die?

Sometimes when we look at the actions of the drug or alcohol user we think, “This person is surely trying to kill himself!” I mean, what else could a rational person think when they see that their loved one is doing everything possible to bring on their own demise?

Last week, I spoke to a woman whose ex-husband is now homeless and living in the park. His family has all but completely disconnected from him. After years of drug use, he has finally come to this point — the point he said he would never get to. Every bit of his self respect is now gone; the shame of being homeless was the only thing that kept him from getting to this point sooner. The ex-wife was hoping that this would be the bottom and that now he would turn things around. They gave a final push and with his agreement they admitted him to a rehab of his choice. He walked out three days later and has not been heard from since.

Why? What would make a person act this way?

We can speculate here about an infinite number of “mental disorders”. But no matter how many labels one can come up with, there is only one factor that actually answers the question and brings about a resolution.

We are all driven by the urge to survive.

Everyone of us has a natural desire to survive and create a better life for ourselves, our family and our friends. All our actions, no matter how small or large are aimed at increasing our potential and level of survival. If you look around you, there is no action that we take that is not aimed in that direction. It’s true that we makes mistakes, but that does not negate the fact all living things are working to survive every minute of every day.

Drugs and alcohol change the way a person sees the world around him. The drug user is, to a greater or lesser degree, not tracking with what is actually happening in their current environment. Drugs also stick a person’s attention on the past. Slowly or quickly, drugs (which include alcohol) change the way the mind perceives and processes information. Drug induced paranoia is a very clear example of wrong perceptions but there is a whole range of wrong perceptions – some subtle, some not so subtle – that accompany drug use.

Nonetheless, like you and me, the drug user is desperately trying to survive and resolve problems which get in his or her way toward a better life. The problem is that with wrong data, their computations are flawed. And while to the drug user, in their altered state, their solutions make perfect sense, to a sober person, their solutions look strange or nonsensical.

If you understand this one point you can start to see how a drug user might be helped.

Bringing the person back into the present and restoring their ability to perceive the present environment is key to rehabilitation. And this, incidentally, is why medications will never solve drug addiction problems and could actually cause more damage and prevent recovery.

This is why long term rehabilitation programs are better than short term. A person needs time to recover and really be able to perceive correctly.

This is why “mental disorder” labels don’t bring about a resolution. All they do is make the person think they have a disease, which again, is wrong data.

And this is also the reason why, during treatment, a person needs to be away from the environment in which they were using drugs. Having environmental reminders of drug use can stick a person’s attention on the past and not allow them to come up to the present. Until they are stably in the present and in better control of themselves, they should not be around those triggers.

So remember that no matter what the drug user says or does, they too are trying to survive to the best of their ability. Your job is to help them see the way out of their confusions and get them back to reality. Because only when they have recovered their ability to be happy and survive well in their present environment without drugs, will they cease to use them.