Addiction, Mental Illness, Suicide

[redblue22]

Why is addiction so often found with suicide? Or mental illness and suicide?

I don't understand. Maybe I once understood, but I feel like it is a heavy fog I can't see through anymore.

 

[Petros2015]

It works a little like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUngLgGRJpo&t=2s

 

[redblue22]

@Petros2015

That really hit me. I don't want to watch it a second time. Very sad. Makes me think of the hell some loved ones are in.

I can see how that applies to various addictions.

I'm not so sure that applies to mental illness. Or maybe I just can't see it.

 

[Petros2015]

I'm not so sure that applies to mental illness.

Not directly, but you can see how mental illness would naturally follow in the wake of addiction. And if someone had mental illness such as depression to begin with, the world starts off a bit darker, so the escape from the world is a bit more alluring, easier to get hooked. It becomes a vicious cycle.

A healthy person as they grow through life, develops coping mechanisms for situations, they endure pain and they grow through it. For the addict, the drug is the coping mechanism, the coping mechanism is to escape. Once they take it, they prefer it to real life, and as long as they can stay there, they do. They can change feelings and emotions, instead of using the feelings and emotions as guidelines to growth. I'm speaking from personal experience. Over time though, the drug stops working. They haven't developed any coping mechanisms for the real world, so there is an increased desperation to escape from it, and no ability to do so. The world gets very dark. In many cases the drug use destroys employment, family relationships, maybe results in jail time. The user gets isolated and can't relate to anyone or function.

The solution is to learn to live in life without the addictive drugs, with real feelings and emotions. Life on life's terms. Scariest thing in the world to turn and face, but the longer you wait, the worse it gets and you can see what the end of it is. It really is impossible to do it on your own, but it IS possible with God and with recovery programs. You can learn to grow and relate to people and life again, and the world starts to get easier to live in. I use 12 Step recovery in AA and SA, therapy, medication, prayer. What's the result? Growth. Sometimes a lot of growth through pain, but growth and change. And the world gets a little brighter, the right way. I find my place in it again. And I get to help others out of where I've been. I highly recommend 12 step recovery, it saved my life and sanity and enables me to work on both.