The majority of individuals who have undergone addiction treatment or are in need of treatment have experienced the constant pull of a friend who will not allow them to grow. These negative influences in your life may be why you cannot kick your addiction.
While recovery involves a combination of a wide range of influences, including medication, treatment, and recognition, a strong support system is one of the most important things a person recovering can have. Many individuals who lack a strong support system either refuse or never seek treatment.
Common signs of a friend who only has negative intentions include:
- Critical of your efforts to improve yourself
- Reluctant to face their own addictive tendencies
- Reluctant to lose their “binge buddy” – claiming that you are “no fun” anymore
- Fails to give you positive feedback during your road to recovery
- Irritability arises when you do not make plans with or cancel plans with this negative influencer
These negative influences have the ability to threaten the path to sobriety and recovery. Due to their own insecurities and inability to conquer their own addictions, they will guilt those seeking recovery and bring them down with them. Typically, these friends are ones that you have a long history with and previously had fun binging with. Therefore, you can expect that this negative influence will try to guilt you into traveling on a dangerous road with them.
In letting go of these negative influences, you must be able to recognize that you too are part of the problem. The addictive disorder often makes us co-dependent on others, thinking that without them we are unable to carry on. In order to cut ties with these negative influences, you must be able to step back and recognize that you are involved in an unhealthy friendship. Slowly stepping back and dedicating most of your time to recovery will often allow the unhealthy relationship to dwindle.
However, other scenarios require you to directly approach the matter at hand. This conversation will entail direct verbal agreement that the individual will stop pushing you towards detours on your road to recovery or cease communication altogether. This will be a difficult conversation to have, but it will make you a stronger individual, as you will be demanding the respect you deserve. These negative influences will only bring you down during recovery or make you return to dangerous habits after recovery.
At Inspire Malibu, we are experienced in helping our patients cut ties with negative influences that fuel the fire of their addictions. We will tackle your addiction with a personalized approach, customizing the treatment program based on the unique needs of the individual. With experienced physicians knowledgeable in treating addiction with one-on-one counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy, you can feel confident in your road to recovery.
We go above and beyond to make our clients feel comfortable so that they can best focus their attention on bettering themselves. Allow us to provide you with advanced treatment solutions that have been proven to work and transform the lives of many.
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