Abstinence

Abstinence: self denial, restraint from indulging a desire for something, for example, alcohol or sexual relations

What Do All Drugs, Including Alcohol Have In Common?

The thing drugs and alcohol all have in common is that they impair judgment and many can do so even in small amounts.

Which is why small amounts often lead to the intake of more alcohol and drugs even in one sitting or period of use . . . One drink leads to two, two snorts to a run. . .

For what ever reason, when using it appears to the user that more is better.

Impaired Judgment Leads to a Higher Risk For Relapse For Drugs and Alcohol

If your judgment is impaired by lack of sleep and chronic fatigue, you are at higher risk for relapse
If your judgment is impaired by unmanaged depression or anxiety, you are at higher risk for relapse
If your judgment is impaired by drugs and alcohol, even those you may not have abused, you are at high risk for relapse

This is the reason why drinking a couple beers may lead to a relapse with cocaine even if alcohol was never a problem for someone. A little bit of alcohol may take that critical edge off of you thinking and allow you to start all the silly rationalizations that come before drug usage. “This will be the last time”, or “I’ve worked hard and I deserve it.” are common examples of this. After going through a rehab program you may feel like you could handle a little limited use, but can you? More on this tomorrow.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 31st, 2005 at 3:21 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.