I can't believe this is happening to me: coming to grips with being addicted

Who would have thought that you would land up here? Probably not you! We know that as a youngster when you contemplated what you wanted to be "when you grew up", drug addict, alcoholic, sex addict, over eater, under eater, self-mutilator or compulsive gambler probably wasn't in your 20-year plan! It may be difficult for you to accept that this has happened to you – that you have an addiction that is ruling your life. What we hope you can hear right now is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Addiction affects millions of people irrespective of age, race, gender, socio-economic status, profession, intelligence, religion or sexual orientation.

We also know that whilst your behaviour and / using may have once been fun, if you are here reading this, it certainly isn't anymore. Perhaps your beliefs that you can "stop whenever you want to" and that you "have it under control" have started to dismantle. Perhaps you have reached a point where it is undeniable that you have a problem. And while your addiction may have started off bringing you pleasure, it has landed up (and taken you) to a whole other place - a place that is no longer fun. A place that is dark and scary. A place you may not know how to get out of.

I can't take it anymore!

When people have addictions they may do "bad" things, but having an addiction doesn't mean you are "bad". This is an important distinction to bear in mind as many people mistakenly believe that having an addiction is a refelction of moral weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth!

We understand that you may have done things you never thought you would do or you may have resigned yourself to the fact that this is the way things are now for you. You may have lost everything or just your self-respect and dignity. Is that not enough? How far are you going to go before you decide that you cannot carry on this way anymore? Where does your addiction have to take you to before you consider trying something different? How much longer are you going to continue to punish yourself?

I need help!

These three words acknowledge that recovering from an addiction is not something you can do alone. And the good news is that you don't have to! There are tons of people who are ready to support you in your decision to get help now!

THERE IS A WAY OUT! YOU DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE LIVING THIS WAY! Making the decision to get help is one of the most difficult things you will ever do, but it is going to be one of the best decisions you will ever make. We are here to support you and guide you in getting the help you need.

What do I do now?

Making the decision to get help takes an enormous amount of courage! WELL DONE! In order to encourage you to do this, it may be a good idea to reach out to someone you love and trust and allow them to support you through this.

If you are unsure about the type of help you need, here's an outline of scenarios and options that may help you find an approach that works for you.