Below are 10 common myths about abuse and addiction. Let’s bust them apart to unveil the truth.
MYTH #1: It’s only abuse if it’s violent.
FACT: Physical abuse is just one type of child abuse. Neglect and emotional abuse can be just as damaging, and since they are more subtle; others are less likely to intervene.
MYTH #2: Only bad people abuse their children.
FACT: While it’s easy to say that only “bad people” abuse their children, it’s not always so black and white. Not all abusers are intentionally harming their children. Many have been victims of abuse themselves, and don’t know any other way to parent. Others may be struggling with mental health issues or a substance abuse problem.
MYTH #3: Child abuse doesn’t happen in “good” families. Addiction could never happen in “my” family. It’s confined only to a particular class of people.
FACT: Child abuse doesn’t only happen in poor families or bad neighborhoods. It crosses all racial, economic, and cultural lines. Sometimes, families who seem to have it all from the outside are hiding a different story behind closed doors.
FACT: Addiction is a chronic disease that has the potential to affect anyone, from any background or economic status.
MYTH #4: Most child abusers are strangers.
FACT: While abuse by strangers does happen, most abusers are family members or others close to the family.
MYTH #5: Abused children always grow up to be abusers.
FACT: It is true that abused children are more likely to repeat the cycle as adults, unconsciously repeating what they experienced as children. On the other hand, many adult survivors of child abuse have a strong motivation to protect their children against what they went through and become excellent parents.
MYTH #6: Addiction is a choice.
FACT: People do not choose to become addicted any more than they choose to have cancer. Genetics makes up about half the risk of addiction; environmental factors such as family life, upbringing and peer influences make up the other half.Brain imaging studies show that there are differences in people who become addicted compared to those who do not become addicted. Once an individual starts using drugs, prolonged drug use changes the structure and function of the brain, making it difficult to control impulses, feel pleasure from natural rewards like sex or food, and focus on anything other than getting and using drugs.
MYTH #7: People who get addicted to prescription drugs are different from people who get addicted to illegal drugs.
FACT: Despite the fact that prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the past decade, the use of “legal” drugs to get high carries fewer stigmas than the use of illicit drugs. Because medications like Vicodin, Xanax and Adderall can be prescribed by a doctor, are relatively safe when used as prescribed, and are already sitting in most people’s medicine cabinets, there is a widespread misconception that they are safer than street drugs. They are not. When a person takes a prescription medication in a larger dose or more often than intended or for a condition they do not have, it affects the same areas of the brain as illicit drugs and poses the same risk of addiction.
MYTH #8: Addicts are bad people who deserve to be punished.
FACT: Man or woman, rich or poor, young or old, if a person develops an addiction, there’s a widespread assumption that they are bad, weak-willed or immoral. It is true that many addicts do bad things. Driven by changes in the brain brought on by prolonged drug use, they lie, cheat and steal to maintain their habit. This means the addict is sick. Good people do bad things, and sick people need treatment –not punishment – to get better.
MYTH #9: Addicts must hit rock bottom before they get better
FACT: While it is true for some that their worlds fall apart before they can get better, there is a myth that all addicts need to hit rock bottom before they get better. This is a very dangerous myth. Many people die before they hit bottom. It is crucial for people with addictions to get help as soon as they can. If a loved one is suffering with addiction, do not wait until they hit bottom to encourage them to get help. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), other 12 step programs or therapy with a qualified professional are all good places to start.
MYTH #10: If someone relapses, they will never get better
FACT: The bad news is that relapse is an all too common problem with recovery, but the good news is that people do recover from addictions, sometimes after many relapses. Relapse is the nature of the disease and will occur but it does not mean failure and recovery is possible. Shame and punishment do not work: These tend to drive relapse, rather than recovery. Unfortunately, if you or your loved is addicted to opioids such as heroin or narcotic pain pills, these relapses have a significant chance of being deadly, particularly for those who are not on maintenance medications such as Suboxone or Subutex. To reduce the risk of overdose death from opioids there is an antidote called naloxone. If given in time, naloxone reverses this potentially fatal effect. Many states now also allow naloxone to be sold over the counter at pharmacies.
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