Total Loss of Control is a Myth

The notion of total loss of control is simplistic and does an injustice to the internal resources available to each of you.

In fact, people who abuse drugs and alcohol do exercise control most of the time.

When the urge is not strong or the substance is currently not available, you are able to abstain.

You do not go off in wild pursuit of the drug at the first sensation of craving.

There is a qualitative difference between the wish to use and the wish to control the urge.

Specialized Techniques To Develop Control

Developing control is a technical problem that all clients can learn to master.

Learning specialized techniques for reducing craving and establishing control is generally necessary for those who are truly addicted.(Pg. 34-35, “Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse,” Aaron T. Beck, Fred D. Wright, Cory F. Newman, Bruce S. Liese, The Guilford Press, New York, 1993)

Sources of craving also need to be explored and managed before you leave rehab. I’ll go though some of these techniques next.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Drug Addiction, Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.