Ending Addiction Caused by Grief and Loss

When someone has lost themselves to an addiction that began after they experienced a loss or personal tragedy, they are more than likely in need of professional help. The pain caused by grief and loss can be debilitating, and an addiction that develops in the midst of grief and loss is an extremely unhealthy coping device that needs to be eradicated. The sooner this type of addict can begin their recovery, the better. Addiction that begins under grievous circumstances can be one of the heaviest and most unstable kinds of addiction, putting the addict at great risk. It is imperative that the grieving addict allows themselves to grieve fully in a healthy way in order for them to move on and regain their life. In order to end their addiction and begin to move on, the individual will have to face the pain of their loss and accept the reality of it. In order to be successful, the recovering addict will need:

• The love and availability of their support system. Relationships are a basic, essential therapy to humans, and in a time of grief, loss and addiction, they can mean the difference between addiction recovery and relapse.
• Counseling or some kind of professional guidance. It is not necessary for everyone, but it is highly recommended that someone struggling with addiction due to grief and loss seeks individual counseling, the services of a trauma and PTSD center, support group help or credible self-help literature created by a mental health professional.
• Cognitive behavioral work. No matter what kind of outside addiction remedies are sought, internal reflection on thought and behavioral patterns, as well as the reorganization of the aforementioned, is necessary to addiction recovery. This is the part of addiction recovery that requires the highest level of responsibility from the recovering addict.
• A life full of meaningful and therapeutic activities. Pursuing happiness is an important part of letting go of grief, which is why making time for enjoyable recreation and purposeful endeavors is essential to addiction recovery.