Module 5: Damaging Consequences

Important: Before you study this lesson please watch this video, “Why?“.  Example:  If you or your client are in a relationship and the other person displayed an attitude of not being “Truthful”, you’ll need to master, and you’ll need to educate your client the following: “Confront and Level!”,  “Assertive Communications!”, as well as “I Feel Good, PST!”.

Make sure to answer the questions at the end and follow the instructions for submission!

No one who tries drugs and alcohol ever thinks about the consequences or the possibility of turning into a drug addict. It seems OK the first time someone tries drugs or alcohol, and they feel under control. But how many people actually stop after the first use?

Drugs and alcohol start doing harm from the very first use. The escape they provide from reality and the high pushes them to try substances “just one more time.” People casually indulging in drugs and alcohol believe that they can stop anytime, but that rarely happens. The cravings keep pushing the person to do drugs and they finally give in.

Most people don’t realize that they are becoming addicted until it’s too late. Some people realize the magnitude of the situation when drugs and alcohol start impacting various aspects of their lives, while others don’t see the adverse effects until they hit rock bottom.

Drugs not only damage the physical and mental health of a person but also bring harm to other areas of life such as relationships, finances, and work. People indulging in drugs and alcohol don’t realize these effects because their judgment is often clouded. Seeking that “high” becomes the driving force in their lives and everything else stops mattering. But everything they do comes with a price and consequences.

Drugs, work, and career:

Some teenagers start taking drugs and alcohol because they see adults around them smoking, vaping, and drinking casually. Some teenagers start drinking and using drugs because everyone else in their school is doing it or they think it’s cool. Peer pressure often plays a key role in pushing teenagers down this road. Some teenagers start using drugs to escape family expectations, exam stress, and the competitive environment.   

In the case of adults, many people start relying on drugs to relax and to escape from their stressful lifestyles. While one or two drinks or prescribed pain killers might seem harmless at first, as time progresses, the building habit starts taking a toll on a person’s professional life and starts influencing productivity.

As people start relying on drugs and alcohol, it starts a domino effect often resulting in unplanned absenteeism, tiredness, and inability to focus. People start making excuses for not going to work so that they can get high at home. They start asking for money from their coworkers and friends, eventually resulting in damaged relationships. 

For teenagers, alcohol and drugs take a toll on their report cards, their allowances, and their performance. For adults, drugs lead to tarnished reputations at the workplace, lost productivity, complaints from coworkers and a decline in trust. People using drugs can put important clients and projects at risk, which can also result in the termination of employment.

Drugs and Finances:

Most people don’t realize the toll drugs take on their finances. Many abusers and addicts don’t realize how much they are spending on substances until their money is gone. People also end up losing their jobs because of their behavior in the workplace and when the money stops coming in, they start looking for other ways of acquiring quick cash which pushes them into financial debt. The unstoppable cravings also push addicts to steal from others and engage in other illegal activities. 

There are many other ways people pay the price of drugs. The severe health problems that come with drug abuse start stacking up the hospital bills. In addition to this, quitting drugs also burns a hole in their family’s pockets. Rehabilitation centers and the process of recovery can cost thousands of dollars resulting in more financial stress and debt. 

Drugs and Relationships:

One of the major areas that drugs and alcohol have an influence is interpersonal relationships. A drug addict might enjoy the high, but he finds himself alone. His friends leave, his relatives cut ties with him and eventually, his family starts getting tired of his behavior.

When a person gets the taste of drugs and starts craving for more, he starts lying to his family and starts extracting money for buying more. The person begins spending recklessly, stops supporting the basic needs of his family, and being high becomes the sole purpose in life. 

As his tolerance levels increase, he starts demanding even more money, starts distancing himself from his family, and starts contacting his friends to lend him money for unexplainable reasons. As his condition worsens, he turns into an aggressive person who wouldn’t hesitate to engage in verbal violence or physical abuse to acquire drugs.

The hospital bills, the financial debt, the cost of rehabilitation centers, the stubbornness of getting high “for the last time,” and relapsing; the whole process breaks a family and tarnishes relationships. People connected with the addict start getting tired of the tantrums, the abuse, and constant demands and eventually distance themselves from him.

So, what can be done to help an addict or a drug abuser?

In most cases, when people see a loved one struggling with drugs, they unknowingly encourage their behavior. Friends start lending money to the addicts, family members start putting the needs of the addict first, some put up with the abuse because they simply have nowhere else to go and some encourage this by providing drugs to fulfill their wish of getting high “for the last time.” 

It is important to understand that even if it’s out of love, if anything you do pushes the person closer to drugs and alcohol, you are not helping. It is important to be firm, to stop entertaining the toxic behavior and to set personal boundaries.

To help people suffering from addiction or drug abuse, it’s important to build trust. It’s important to create a safe environment for them so that they can ask for your help. Allowing them to talk and express themselves, showing them how their behavior is causing harm to themselves and those around them, and telling them why they need to stop can help a person see the clear picture.

Finally, seek professional help. There are many helplines and rehabilitation centers that can help prevent someone from turning into an addict and can help addicts overcome their addiction. Encouraging them to get themselves into a support group can help them see that they are not alone in this. There are many who have defeated addiction and successfully turned their lives around.

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone struggling with drugs? What steps did you take to help them out? Was that someone you?

The essay

Please write an essay, up to two pages, about a past experience you or someone you know was committed to drugs and or alcohol. Tell us in detail, who, what, when, where, why, to whom, the place of what you did. The outcome! And tell us in detail how you could have changed that use from what you learned today so the outcome would have been good. Internalize this lesson. Make it become a part of you. Share your story in the Forums.

Our advice is for you to practice “Helping Yourself and/or Others in Dealing with a Drug Addiction” for at least a week. Tell others around you to point out any time in which you didn’t. Have them hold you accountable. Visit the “Forum” and do a “CONFESSION.”

What is a Confession? A Confession is when you’ve displayed a wrong behavior and were held accountable by one of your family members, peers, or even yourself. Visit the Forum and tell us about it. We will give you feedback! Make sure to watch the video about Confession for more details! Furthermore, become a member of the Forum and give feedback to others!

Read the article? Time to introspect!

1. How old were you when you first tried drugs or alcohol? Were you able to stop?
2. Do you think drugs and alcohol have taken a toll on your financial wellbeing? Is your financial health stable?
3. How do you think drugs and alcohol have impacted your career or your work?
4. What challenges did you face because of drugs and alcohol in your relationships? How did you overcome them?
5. How do you think you can help a drug abuser recover? What steps would you take?

Sources:

https://drugabuse.com/financial-toll-addiction/

https://medmark.com/how-does-drug-addiction-affect-relationships/

This module includes the following:

• Introduction
• Why Become a Life Coach
• Drugs and Alcohol
• First Use of Drugs
• Drugs, Alcohol, and Your Health
• Damaging Consequences
• Outside Help to Drugs and Alcoholism
• The Benefits to Change
• Attitude Check & Confession
• Confront and Level
• I Feel Good, PST™
• Why?

There is no way any relationship will survive without having the qualities mentioned above.

Make sure to read each article carefully at least three time. Print your workbook (will be available per lesson.)  Answer all questions and enter them in your workbook. Once you have completed this entire journey, you will be issued a Life Coach Certificate so long as you’ve been a member of the “Forums.”

Also, follow the instruction for sharing your story in our Forums as well as participating in our “Forums,” especially our unique “Confessions Forum” so you may gain practice, knowledge, experience, and expertise!

I am thankful that you have given me this opportunity to share all of this with you. May God bless you and bring prosperity and peace into your life.

Respectfully yours,

George Tannous, PhD