I came across this quote on my Instagram feed the other day. I thought it was so profoundly true that I wanted to share it with you.
“I don’t believe in rock bottom. I’ve had a lot of what I thought were rock bottoms, only to discover another, rockier bottom underneath. Eventually, I decided to stop waiting for something to change me. I had to make the change myself.” — BoJack Horseman
We have been led to believe that someone can only change their substance use patterns when they hit “rock bottom.”
My thinking is that maybe this black and white thinking was helpful back in the day when 12 Step recovery programs were relatively new. It provided context to know when enough was enough.
I would like to think that we have evolved our thinking to understand that there is no such thing. Honestly, if you think things are bad now and are continuing with the same behaviors, they can only get worse, so why wait to seek help?
- What is your definition of rock bottom?
- How do you know you have hit your rock bottom?
- Why do you have to wait until you have hit your rock bottom to seek help?
- What can you do NOW to improve your situation?
I’ll tell you what you can do now. Don’t wait until you hit this imaginary “rock bottom.” If you are reading this, you or a family member is already in dire straits. Why wait for things to just get worse, as they inevitably will?
Salvage what you can NOW. Don’t wait.
At the Coleman Institute for Addiction Medicine, we specialize in outpatient medical detoxification. Out protocols are unique and most importantly successful.
Approximately 98% of our opioid patients complete their detoxification process and begin Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) using naltrexone, a non-addictive, opioid blocker that also reduces cravings for alcohol. We also help people safely detox from alcohol.
Call us at 877-773-3869 to see whether our programs might be a good option for you, as you contemplate paths to avoid the imaginary bottomless pit. Best wishes.
Deborah Reich, MD
