Living a Secret Life as an Addict
Is your substance use making you ashamed of who you are? Are you living a secret life that not even your closest friends and family know about? As a young adult, you may feel trapped or like you have lost control of your own life, but you are not alone. Lying about your drinking or drug abuse habits might be a way you try to convince yourself that everything is okay. However, there are consequences to this behavior including feeling more isolated and less in touch with the world around you. Continuing to lie and a life of secrecy can affect your personal relationships, your health and your safety.
Secrets Keep You Sick
Signs of addiction can be very obvious if you open yourself to recognizing them. Neglecting responsibilities, degraded school or work performance, physical and health changes, relationship problems and sudden mood changes can all be signs of a drinking problem. You might start keeping secrets from your family and friends about how much and how often you drink or abuse drugs and about your own personal life. Recognizing these signs and getting help early can bring normalcy back into your life. These secrets can grow over time, leaving you isolated from your loved ones and your true self. The more secrets escalate, the more detrimental they become to your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Taking the First Step
The first step in getting better is to not keep the secret of your substance use to yourself. Being honest with yourself and admitting you have a problem is the most difficult first step – but you are not alone. At Red Oak Recovery® you will be among a community of young adults who have shared experiences and learn how to move away from secrecy and into honesty together. If alcohol addiction is contributing to the secrecy in your life, early treatment and intervention can help connect you with an alcohol treatment center that works best for you. At Red Oak Recovery®, our licensed therapists can help you through this early phase of acceptance and recovery.
