Addiction and Low Self-Esteem

Addiction and Low Self-Esteem

One of the things that plagued me when I first began getting treatment for my addiction was low self-esteem. I had low self-esteem when it came to pretty much everything in my life. I had low self-esteem when it came to what I thought I was capable of, of whether or not I could make the right decisions, my looks, and also my own worth and value. Addiction and low self-esteem unfortunately, go hand in hand to keep you trapped in a negative cycle.

What happens when you have addiction and low self-esteem?

Addiction and low self-esteem play off of one another. Part of the reason we enter into addiction is to cover up feelings of shame, guilt, low self-worth, thinking we are bad people, not fitting in, never being good enough and more. As our addiction heads into deeper and darker places that low sense of self-worth, shame, guilt, and the thought that we are bad people only worsens.    Not only that, but addiction causes many of us to do things that go against our morals and our beliefs and that does nothing but bring low self-esteem even lower. As our self-esteem becomes less and less existent we find ourselves using more and more to try and cover up those terrible feelings. If you are an addict like me, you know the feelings I am talking about. Addiction also concretes the belief that we aren’t worth getting better and that we are destined and deserve to live in our pain. This is compounded with the actions we take to get our drugs and drink and also the harm we are causing ourselves and others.

Unfortunately low self-esteem is a big reason we start using drugs and then it also becomes a huge factor as to why we continue using them. Not only that, but low self-esteem can even plague us in our recovery by causing relapse. This is why it so important when we begin to step away from addiction and low self-esteem, we put emphasis on the fact that we are not bad people but we are people suffering from a disease.

Recovering from addiction and low self-esteem

One of the greatest gifts that drug treatment can give us as addicts with low self-esteem is the knowledge we are not alone. It isn’t just you and it isn’t just me. You aren’t a messed up person and I am not just a messed up person. This is where building positive self-esteem can start and it is where it began with me. It was one of the greatest gifts, having addiction and low self-esteem, to learn that I wasn’t the only one. I wasn’t the only who was feeling the way I was and did what I did to get my drugs and alcohol.

This fact, as well as the ideas many drug treatments are based on of building the addict up have it right. We don’t need to be torn down any more than we already are.

Women: Addiction and Low Self-Esteem

Speaking as a woman in recovery I knew this was especially true for me. Addiction and low self-esteem would keep me from fully recovering if I didn’t have the help need to take care of the two together. If I may also make another suggestion when it comes to addiction and low self-esteem, as a woman, I know that being with other women was one of the greatest self-esteem builders I found and still have to this day.

Being around other women allows you to see the worth in them which in turn allows you to see the worth in yourself. Women build each other up and can build strong ties that create a really strong recovery. So if I may offer one suggestion if you are a woman in recovery and have the opportunity, choose to surround yourself with other women if you are suffering from addiction and low self-esteem. It works wonders. Being around women could come in the form of an all-women’s drug treatment center or even an all-women’s halfway house or support group. Whatever it is, addiction and low self-esteem especially doesn’t have to hold you down or hold you back anymore.

If you or someone you love is suffering from addiction and low self-esteem please call us at 1-888-672-4435 now. We can help.