You Hit Bottom When You Stop Digging

Sean Levine wrote this in Treatment on Tuesday, July 15, 2014

At recovery meetings, at treatment centers and every drug rehab, we may have heard terms like “hitting rock bottom.” When we hear someone tell their story, we hear about their bottom. It’s the time when an addict has a moment of clarity and realizes: I’m defeated, I’m powerless, the jig is up and I need help… I need addiction treatment. But everyone’s bottom is different. For some people, it’s tragic: the wife and kids left, they lost their jobs, they’re broke or bankrupt or even homeless. Bottoms may have resulted from run-ins with the law: DUIs, arrests, prison or jail time. Some people overdose and almost die. For many, it’s not so dramatic. Rather, their bottom occurs when they’re staring at their selves in the mirror and wondering “What the hell have I become!?”

Everyone’s Bottom is Different. Don’t Compare Yours to His or Hers.

It’s always great when someone hits bottom because that’s when they accept that they need serious addiction treatment. Yet, when we hear each other’s bottoms, it’s important not to compare our own experience with someone else’s. Many addicts are not as far along as others. They hear war stories at drug rehab and think, “I’ve never overdosed,” “I’ve never been arrested,” etc. Their overriding thought is: “I’m not like that person.” No matter how much they’ve gone through, they’re convinced that their bottoms are not so deep. They don’t make the most out of their time at treatment centers because they think there’s still a chance they can beat addiction on their own.

What usually happens to these addicts who think they haven’t hit bottom? They learn the hard truth that addiction only gets worse. They do experience those deeper bottoms that they’ve heard about: they do lose the job, the family, the sanity and the self-respect. Some of them never make it back to drug rehab treatment centers; their bottom is death. Those that do make it back can’t help but realize they’d hit bottom the first time in addiction treatment. They realize that your bottom isn’t defined by what you’ve lost or how bad you were. They realize that you hit bottom when you stop digging.

You can stop digging toward your bottom any time — all you have to do is get yourself into treatment by calling 877-968-6682 today!