Character defects come in many different forms. Someone who battles substance abuse typically loses themselves and starts behaving in ways that may not be part of their normal emotional makeup. Drugs and alcohol are like putting fuel on a fire on someone’s personality and then watching their characteristics burn up right before them with a point of no return from continual substance abuse.

A normal recurrence with many people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction is the inability to control their reactions and attack those who are not supportive of their habit or whom they feel wronged by. Drugs and alcohol usually make circumstances more dramatic than they need to be and make situations ten times worse.

As a person gets sober, the thought is that they will be better without drugs and alcohol in their system. Change will take place, but there is still work to be done and the person will undoubtedly become a walking raw nerve who can be affected negatively by people, places, and things in a split second. Of course, all these emotions can be changed with a few guidelines to positively react instead of attack.

Take a second to assess the situation.

Before blowing up with no idea how to handle the situation, you should take a moment to take a breath, fully comprehend what is going on, and go with the flow. If you just act on your feelings which are not factual, you could make matters unpleasant and eventually ruin relationships altogether.

Feel your emotions about the situation.

Bottling up emotions may how you normally handle your feelings. By keeping the emotions in, you are actually creating a disaster waiting to happen. Call your sponsor to process what you are going through, take time out to journal about your emotions, or go to a 12-Step meeting to share with others.

Find your part in the situation.

If you blame everyone else, you will never find any resolve. Nobody is perfect and having compassion for others who have made mistakes and admitting your own gives you a better ability to let go of things much easier.

Going on the attack usually comes from fear of something that is out of your control. Knowing that you are not running the show will give you the understanding that you must give up the power that you think you have in order to get better results moving forward.

If you or someone you know is in the depths of drug or alcohol addiction, The Kimberly Center is ready to assist you in a new way of living. By learning who you are without drugs and alcohol in your system, you can see how full life can be in your recovery.

Call us today to begin: 855-4-KCENTER (855-452-3683)