We all have negative thought patterns, and often, we don’t know it. We attempt to cover them up by distracting ourselves: we eat bad food, we watch TV every day, we sit on our smartphones, we don’t get outside. More and more, we protect our negative thoughts by refusing to address them for what they are. And for some, using substances is the only way they know how to deal.
Dual diagnosis refers to the treatment of two co-occuring disorders, addiction and mental illness. All too often, someone with an undiagnosed illness will act out in various ways, trying to do anything to feel better. It just so happens that doing a drug or drinking alcohol can easily numb the pain—briefly. The real problem is that what goes up must come down. And if you’re dealing with depression, and alcohol spikes those dopamine levels in the brain—the next day, you may even feel twice as depressed, because you’ve messed with the part of your brain that acknowledges pleasure and reward. Your serotonin levels plummet, and you’re left feeling emptier than you did before.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a technique used in psychotherapy to combat negative thoughts. The moment you think something negatively, you address it: “I’m the worst.” You haven’t committed a crime against humanity, you’re just a person with stress like anyone else. So this thought is exaggerated. It’s irrational—but it can be fought.
Addressing those thoughts before they plummet you into depression is the only way to start healing properly, and dealing with addiction—the thoughts that led you to use before.
Beyond medication, healing starts with you. Of course, we’re not to blame for our mental illnesses and stress. But we can take charge of when the mind turns south.
