Psychological Barriers in Seeking treatment from Addiction

Drug and Alcohol Addiction in India is a growing concern in many mental health circles, academia and healthcare. The rates of Substance Use disorder are sky rocketing, with the youth population being the majority of those who are suffering. We all know at least one person in our family, friends, or acquaintances who is abusing or is addicted to drugs or alcohol. With weekend parties become common place, a culture of using substances has been growing steadily since decades. However, how many of us actually know people who have gotten into treatment for addiction? How many people do we know who received appropriate healthcare and support for the illness?

The number if people getting adequate treatment is pretty low, when you look at the numbers of those who are addicted. And there are multiple reasons for this. Some of them being the obvious: lack of financial resources, availability or access to treatment facilities, lack of infrastructure and so on. But keeping aside the social and environmental factors that impede treatment, there are also psychological barriers that prevent one from seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. In this article, we aim to outline some of the common ones:

1. Lack of Awareness about Mental Health and Illness

There is a general lack of awareness about the existence or even seriousness of mental health issues like addiction, anxiety, depression and so on. The understanding that there are professionals who can help one with mental health issues is lacking as well. Lot of issues are seen as circumstantial and not mental health problems that needs to be worked upon. Just like physical health issues require medical intervention, so do mental health issues. The initial denial of an addict is to accept the problem. The secondary denial is that the problem needs professional help, as many believe that it can be overcome by will power alone. But addiction is a complex, progressive and self destructive illness which requires adequate support and treatment.

1. Myths about people who become addicted

People have stigma against the kind of people who get addicted. The general perception is that those who become addicted to drugs or alcohol are immoral, have poor character, are weak willed, are cowardly, reckless, have low intelligence or are uncaring about other people. Other perceptions may be socioeconomic- people think that addicts may be those who are less educated, come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, are from certain classes or occupations, and so on. Even the prejudice exists against those \’need\’ to go to a rehab exists. They are seen as lesser than others.
The general perception is that these people are deviants of society that are \’bad people\’.
These myths are detrimental as one does not recognize the addiction in oneself when it happens. The denial becomes strong as one doesn\’t want to face the fact that addiction can happen to them as well. This is a major barrier in seeking treatment. But the reality is that addiction can affect anybody.

1. Fear of losing Social Image

Individuals who may accept that they have a problem, do not wish to be regarded socially as an addict, which is why they don\’t seek treatment. The label of an addict or of someone who has been to a rehab can be perceived negatively. But that is an internalized stigma. People may worry about losing face in the family, community, at their workplace. Family members may also be worried about what others will think if their son, daughter, sibling, spouse or parent is seen as an addict or is put in a rehab. And while it is true that many people may judge someone for being an addict or going to a rehab, it is a secondary issue. The priority is that addiction to drugs and alcohol needs treatment that is immediate and effective in the long run. A life of recovery is much more beneficial than a life of lying and hiding.

1. Fear of missing out on work and other productive areas

The idea of taking a break for health reasons is anyway rejected in the current work culture. And this is internalized as well. People have professional goals, targets, deadlines; plans which make it hard for one to step back and take the time out for one\’s mental health. There is a flawed belief that one\’s self worth is connected to hoe productive they are in the day. This puts a lot of pressure on people, especially those who are high functioning addicts, to keep at it, without adequate rest. Mental health care and especially treatment for drug or alcohol addiction requires time and a commitment to prioritize mental health over other areas of life. The fear of missing out nay always be there, but it is hazardous to keep putting treatment off for these reasons.

1. Inacceptance of the psychological work to be put in

Many people suffering from alcohol or drug addiction are not motivated to put in the efforts required to gain a life of recovery, which is understandable given that they are anyway suffering and life seems unmanageable. They may find it too difficult to enroll in a program, keep up with sessions, do therapueitc activities for their recovery. The false expectation is that one will recovery without much effort of learning new coping skills, relapse prevention strategies, behavioral skills, inner work. One may still recover as people do without putting in the world, but the chances of a stronger recovery with minimal or no relapse are higher when one does engage in psychotherapy and be connected to a program of recovery.

Of course, resistance to recovery can take many forms, and there may be many other psychological barriers to recovery that may vary from person go person. Some people may be too defensive, one\’s stubbornness or even laziness may come in the way of critical lying thinking about deaddixtion, dependency on family members, emotional problems, poor cognitive processing or reasoning, lack of insight about the problem, depression, anxiety issues and so on. The above four are the common barriers thatany people typically experience. People suffering from drug or alcohol addiction are enrolled for our program at ZorbaCare Rehabilitation Center in Pune, India. Many of them report these barriers and overcoming them brings them into treatment. Of course the treatment itself may struggle with even more barriers and internal resistance, even after one has been enrolled into the program. Here, it is of utmost importance that an addict in recovery is provided with a supportive and positive environment, with adequate resources and with a professional working along with them. At ZorbaCare we reinforce the importance of identifying as well as challenging various psychological issues and barriers that may prevent one from living a fulfilling life in recovery.