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Among the biggest detriments to the quality and perceptions of mental health and addiction recovery are the stigmas that society uses to define them. Despite advances in medicine and research about mental health and addiction, people continue to cling to outdated characterizations that distance them from those struggling with substance use and mental health disorders. Stigmas also have more than a toxic effect on those on the outside looking in; they also influence the decisions made by those struggling, often perpetuating feelings of embarrassment, shame, and self-resentment.
Stigmas even prevent many people from getting the help they need because they view getting help as a character flaw. However, getting help is not a character flaw. When education and compassion replace fear and misunderstanding, everybody benefits. You might be wondering how you might overcome the stigma that too often accompanies the conversation about addiction. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can start to overcome stigmas and define your recovery.
Don't Let the Stigma Create Doubt and Shame
Stigmas are not just the ideas and perceptions of others. You might mistakenly believe that your addiction or mental health disorders are personal weaknesses that you can control without help. However, it is essential to continue to educate yourself and others by being proactive about seeking help and vocalizing your disorder's reality.
At START UP RECOVERY, we work with each individual to further help them connect with others who share similar experiences to strengthen the community and redirect the narrative about addiction and mental health toward the truth about what living with these disorders means. Our goal is to help you find your inner confidence to overcome destructive self-judgment and show both yourself and others that you can be just as successful as anybody. It takes understanding that your potential becomes hindered when you subscribe to the beliefs of the stigma.
Never Isolate Yourself
Stigmas tend to prevent people from finding the motivation to get help. If you are struggling with addiction or a mental illness, you might feel reluctant to tell anyone about it – this includes your closest friends and family members. However, when you think this way, you further isolate yourself from people that can help. Worse, your negative thoughts become beliefs and eventually become actions. When you believe in the stereotypes and stigmas, you play into them and reinforce their meaning and societal presence.
Isolation is among the most destructive things you can do to your mental and physical health. If you lack a healthy support system, this is okay – there are ways to build a healthy support system. START UP RECOVERY aims to surround you with positive and proactive people who will support you personally and professionally. We also help take you from the depths of isolation and bring you into an environment that builds motivation and empowerment.
Become More Transparent
If you fear speaking openly about your mental health or substance use disorder, then others will fear talking about it, too. Understanding that you are not your mental health diagnosis or addiction is the first step toward owning it, and this takes transparency. How else could someone not struggling with these disorders understand? Vocalizing your story helps shed light on mental health and addiction instead of portraying it as a secret affair. Speaking openly also helps bring to light that seemingly “ordinary people” struggle. Being transparent can help another person struggling come forward and openly express how they manage their disorder or seek the help they need. It strengthens the community and helps those who subscribe to the stigmas understand that mental health and addiction are more complex than portrayed in the media and society.
Speaking openly also stands to change the conversation. Removing shame from the perception of mental health and substance use disorder helps change the narrative. At START UP RECOVERY, we help you become more open and honest with yourself and others. We believe that exuding confidence rather than shame makes it more difficult for others to shame you. When you can achieve this, it changes the conversation and perception that these disorders can happen to “normal” people in “normal” settings.
You Have the Choice
You might not control how somebody perceives you and your disorder; however, you also don't need to believe them. You can change how you respond to challenging situations. When you move forward with confidence and reply with your truth, you're not only telling your own story but changing your life and perceptions about mental health and addiction in a way that others will not be able to look around. The impact of your actions and words help change the perception. When you choose healing, recovery, and success, you become a catalyst for change in others. Remember the adage: “Be the change you want to see.”
The fear surrounding the stigma and others’ perceptions of mental health and addiction is often more debilitating than the stigma itself. At START UP RECOVERY, we will work with you to overcome the fears and reservations you might have to change the conversation. We believe that positive friends, actions, and words are undeniable in recovery. Your best success begins when you decide to make the change. START UP RECOVERY is a safe, comfortable, and judgment-free facility located in a luxury setting on the Santa Monica coast. Unlike other facilities, we are not here to treat; we are here to help transform you into your best possible self. We do this by helping you grow confident in who you are and build a network that will continue to motivate and support you in achieving your goals. It all begins with taking the first step. To learn more, reach out to us today by calling (310) 773-3809.