Shame And Addiction
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Children can grow up in an environment of shame. In dysfunctional families where addictions or codependency is an issue, it is easy for children to see themselves as unloved, unworthy, inferior or even inadequate. In other words, it is not their actions, but their whole being that is the cause of their shame. Constant belittling, criticism and even neglect and isolation all enhance this sense of inferiority and shame that becomes a central part of the individual's way of seeing her or himself.
In an article in The Guardian, researcher Paul Gilbert at the University of Derby discusses the dangers of internal shame, also called toxic shame. He defines this is a "deep hatred of yourself" and a condition where you "don't want to be the person you are."
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have determined that this high-level toxic shame is often associated with early abuse in childhood, which can be physical, emotional or sexual in nature. These researchers propose that the exposure to the neurological changes that shame creates, can actually negatively impact neurological development.
Individuals with a deep and ongoing shame of themselves are, by nature, isolated with deep and closely held feelings of being unworthy and unlovable. This, in turn, is linked to depression, and the use of alcohol and drugs is often initially a form of self-medication.
Additionally, the use of alcohol and drugs creates further feelings of shame. They also lower self-esteem and contribute to the constant cycle of seeing yourself as inferior or unable to cope. This downward spiral can only be stopped by a significant and powerful intervention.
To address the link between shame and addiction, it is important to start by working with a psychotherapist or recovery coach highly experienced in these areas for either individual psychotherapy or group psychotherapy.
Breaking the cycle of shame and addiction and severing the link in your life is essential for healing. Working with an experienced therapist in this area is one of the most positive things you can do for yourself and a gift that will provide a high return on your investment.
I intend the twin moral failure analysis to be true to the perspective of the addict, his close relations, as well as from the perspective of the professional and non-professional therapeutic communities that work and live with addicts. I also intend the analysis to describe normal and reliable features of addiction. The exceptions, the cases where there is no shame on the part of the addict descriptively, and where shame would be unwarranted normatively involve abnormal psychiatric conditions, e.g., schizoid personality disorder, or unusual social conditions where there are no choice-worthy options for a good human life, or where the addict has a certain social status, social permission (opiate addicts in hospice), and/or financial resources to be an addict with impunity.
A key idea in Strawson is that the reactive attitudes are not only essential to inter-personal relations, they are also essential to how we see, judge, and regulate our own mind and behavior; they are also intra-personal. I can experience, indeed I do experience, the reactive attitudes to my own mental states and actions. Anger at myself for what I did, as well as disappointment, pride, embarrassment, shame, and guilt are familiar components of a human life. Self-esteem is a general feeling that one is decent, worthy, doing well; self-respect involves knowing with some degree of confidence and proper humility that this feeling is warranted.
The objection is that there are certain individuals with schizoid personality disorder, perhaps there are others in the manic phase of bipolar disorder, who are addicts in the sense that they have lost rational effective control over using, but do not feel shame, and thus do not suffer the twin failures and who thus are not, according to me, addicts. But they really are addicts. So the twin normative criterion is descriptively false.
People cope with shame and addiction in different ways. Some turn to perfectionism, trying to ensure that everything they do is without fault and above reproach. Others struggle with low self-esteem and may seem to have an incredibly people-pleasing personality. Shame is often accompanied by guilt.
Shame is an isolating, debilitating emotion that can cause many to suffer from feelings of self-doubt and unworthiness. Routinely experiencing shame can feed the cycle of addiction, especially if substance misuse is prevalent or if alcohol and drugs are easily accessible. Many individuals use substances to cope with drastic feelings of shame and, with time, shame and addiction can easily become intertwined.
On the other hand, shame ties into feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. Where guilt can push some to correct a mistake or error in behavior, shame actually causes many sufferers to seek isolation in order to minimize embarrassment and judgments.
According to a study published by leading clinical psychologist and author Paul Gilbert, Ph.D., shame is an emotion of social comparison where individual fear or anticipates eliciting disgust in others. Increased symptom severity and lack of response to treatment are most commonly associated with other conditions such as eating disorders, PTSD, depression, and occurrences of shame and addiction.
Highly shame-prone individuals sometimes find it challenging to benefit from traditional cognitive behavioral therapies and may benefit from a compassion-focused approach. Shame, at its core, can convince many that they are bad or wrong. Some may feel shame even after correcting a misdeed or even for no reason at all. If shame is left untreated, it can fester and progress into more serious mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Getting help for shame often begins with identifying or recognizing shameful emotions. Those experiencing constant shame may feel terrified of receiving support as it means facing and disclosing shameful feelings and behaviors to others. They may be fearful that those with who they seek help will eventually discover that the shame is deserved. In addition, they may also fear exposure and rejection.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, mental health concerns and substance use disorders impact millions of Americans every year, from every walk of life and all age groups. The coexistence of both mental health issues like feeling ashamed and substance dependency is commonly referred to as a co-occurring disorder.
Shame and addiction are co-occurring disorders that often appear together. The feelings of being ashamed are natural emotions that nearly every person experiences at some time. Some may take drastic measures to avoid feeling ashamed. Further, in addictive addiction, shame becomes almost unavoidable.
Individuals that are greatly impacted by shame are often isolated or separated from others. At times, they may even feel disconnected from everything, and with prolonged isolation, substance abuse is more likely to occur.
The chronic feeling of unworthiness and inferiority can make a person feel undeserving of happiness, health, life, and even love. Becoming ashamed of who you are as a person can also manifest in other ways like depression, thoughts of suicide, and risky behavior to relieve oneself of being ashamed.
Shame is prone to spiraling into self-medicating and addiction or keeping you within the cycle of addiction. Stresses caused by work, finances, and relationships can quickly become overwhelming and lead to individuals seeking relief through drugs and alcohol use. The same is also true for mental health issues like experiencing extremely negative emotions and thoughts of shame.
Drugs and alcohol are known to lower self-esteem. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, self-esteem is one of the most important variables and concepts that might have a meaningful influence on addiction. The study determined that individuals experiencing higher rates of shame and low self-esteem were more prone to drug and alcohol use. Comments within the study conclude:
Shame often stems from a traumatic experience. People may fear that they deserved the trauma, experience guilt and shame about having survived, or feel ashamed of abuse. When shame and addiction co-occur, treatment options usually include a dual diagnosis approach. On one side, treatment programs should offer individual therapy and even group therapy that addresses the root causes of shame and underlying mental health conditions that may trigger substance abuse. Some treatment options include:
Experiencing shame long-term leads many to a life of alcohol and drugs. More alarmingly, due to the nature of shame and the stigmas surrounding substance abuse, it can cause many to fear treatment and even refuse treatment altogether. As the drug epidemic impacts more and more Americans, access to substance abuse programs is more critical than ever, particularly those that address dual diagnosis care and support.
Addiction treatment makes it easier for those experiencing shame and trauma to receive support and therapy based on individual needs. By integrating mental health strategies with existing evidence-based treatment modalities for addiction, the outcomes appear favorable.
Within this muddled battlefield of emotions and deficiencies, addiction is created. Read this article to learn how guilt and shame can potentially create, feed and destroy addiction. Also, this article will teach the reader how to differentiate between guilt and shame. Lastly, this article will explore various methods of treatment used to deal with guilt and shame in addiction recovery.
First of all, what is the difference between guilt and shame? We may use these words interchangeably in a sentence, when in fact, these two words have significant differences and should be used to describe distinct situations. Simply put, guilt typically deals with harming ourselves, while shame implies harming someone else. 2b1af7f3a8