Myth/Fact
MYTH or FACT :
People with addiction need to hit rock bottom before become they becomewilling to get help with their addiction.
MYTH. In reality, no matternwhere we are in our addiction, we can decide to get help and make changes in our lives.
MYTH or FACT:
If we relapse, acting quickly and returning to sobriety again can prevent things from getting worse.
FACT.
Having a plan in pace and taking action as soon as we begin to experience a relapse can stop the relapse sooner and prevent things from getting worse.
What does PAWS stand for?
post-acute withdrawal syndrome
MYTH or FACT
Treatment really doesn't always work because people always relapse.
MYTH.
Not everyone experiences a relapse. And many people who do relapse take action to successfully return to recovery.
MYTH or FACT:
Adiction affects only people who are poor or uneducated.
MYTH.
Addiction is an equal-opportunity disease that affects people of every ethnic background, income level, educational level, and gender. In fact, some extremely educated people in very stressful professions have rates of substance use disorder that are higher than the general public.
How many stages of withdrawal are there?
2
MYTH or FACT:
Relapse can happen no matter how long we have been sober.
FACT.
Addiction is considered a chronic or lifelong disease, and relapse can happen at anytime. Knowing which situations place us at risk or relapse, and having a plan for managing these situations, gives us the best chance of maintaining sobriety.
MYTH or FACT:
I don't have to change my lifestyle - I can just stop using and stay sober.
MYTH.
Many chronic diseases, including heart diseases and diabetes, require lasting lifestyle changes to be properly managed, and addiction does too. Many of these lifestyle changes improve our quality of life so much that we want to continue them.
Name the two stages of withdrawal.
acute stage and post-acute withdrawal syndrome (paws).
MYTH or FACT.
People with substance use disorders could stop using all together all on their own - if they honestly wanted to. They just lack will power.
MYTH.
Addiction is a brain disease that requires specialized treatement to manage, just like any other chronic disease such as diabetes. It has nothing to do with willpower or character.
MYTH or FACT.
No one will understand how I feel or how afraid I am to make chanes in my life.
MYTH.
We are not alone. While we all have our own personal stories, those of us who struggle with substance use have things in common. The lists of symptoms, risk factors, and the phases of addiction presented in this chapter show thta many of us have had similar experiences with addiction.
TRUE or FALSE
Can someone be triggered by smells or sounds?
TRUE.
MYTH or FACT.
Addiction is an incurable disease. I can't help myself.
MYTH.
While addiction is a chronic disease, it can be managed. We can't control the way substances affect us, but we can control wether or not we use them. We can't do this onour own, but the choice to get help and follow out treatment plans is ours.
MYTH or FACT:
Addiction treatment doesn't work in a criminal justice setting because participants didn't choose to be there.
MYTH.
In reality, even people who are not motivated at first can become commited to an ongoing tretament process. In fact, research suggests that treatment that is mandated (ordered by the court) can work just as well as treatment that is voluntary (by choice).
Name 3 symptoms of withdrawals.