Rock Bottom
I finally fell asleep after 7 days of being awake. As I was falling asleep I felt my life slipping away. My heart was barely beating. My pulse was weak. I was weak. Malnourished, paranoid, delusional, and at my rock bottom. I remember taking a bath that evening because I was too tired to stand in the shower. I was completely paranoid, I was hearing voices, thinking completely delusional thoughts. I awoke the next day barely able to function but somehow I managed to go to school and attend a concert later that day.
I had been on a Meth binge. Meth was my best friend for two years of my life. It was not the greatest best friend to have. Meth took my friends from me, my reality, my well being, my health, and most of all, it took my ability to have a future.
Yet, there is always hope in what seems like a hopeless situation.
After that day I realized that I was close to rock bottom. I wasn’t there yet though, it was when my dad found out that I had stolen money from him and confronted me that I was really at rock bottom.
To me rock bottom meant that there was nowhere else to go and I knew a change had to happen. That is when I decided that I needed help. I decided to reach out to The Discovery House, a recovery center. The rest is history, I’ve been sober now for almost 5 years.
Rock bottom means different things for different people. I’ve hit rock bottom in my sober life. Life can throw you curveballs.
It looks very different from when I was using it, but I’m not going to say it’s any better. Yet, now I have the tools, knowledge, and support to navigate tough times.
The biggest thing I learned when I started the recovery process at The Discovery House was how to meet my rock bottom and use it to propel me forward. Recovery at The Discovery House also taught me how to avoid the rock bottom.
The program at The Discovery House gave me the tools necessary to understand what my rock bottom would look like and how to break the patterns that got me there in the first place.
What Does Rock Bottom Mean?
For most people what it does mean is that it is a wake up call. Something needs to change. In most instances it is also a cry for help.
When you feel you are at your bottom, often, you need support. For me that is where The Discovery House came in.
I knew at this point I needed to help. When I looked for a recovery center The Discovery House stuck out to me because of the staff there. I was extremely frightened about what was going to happen when I stopped using.
The plan they presented to me helped me to retain hope and kept me positive that there was a way out.
How to Identify Rock Bottom for Yourself or Loved Ones
The next question you might have is how do I know if I have hit rock bottom?
Research by the NIH says that if you start to lose resources it may be a sign that you have hit rock bottom.
If you are asking the question that might be the answer right there.
A study by the NIH found that if you continuously hear from loved ones that you need help, it may indicate that you have reached a rock bottom. Here are some other ways to identify that it is time for you or your loved one to get help.
- You or your loved one have no place to live because of your addiction
- You or your loved one’s health is declining rapidly
- You or your loved one have drained all of your finances for your addiction
- You or your loved one’s have isolated and alienated yourself from your friends and family
- You or your loved one’s top priority is your addiction
- You or your loved one lose your job due to your addiction
- Trouble with the law
- Violence or Anger
- Overdose
- You are your loved one’s lose important relationships because of their addiction
If you or a loved one has any of these behaviors it is time to address the addiction and get help immediately.
Where to Go? How?
I felt entirely hopeless at the beginning of my recovery. I just knew I couldn’t go forward in the way I was or I would die.
Getting into a recovery program like The Discovery House helped me retain hope by giving me a plan. I realized that anything was possible if I figured out a plan and stuck to it.
To get out of where you are at will seem impossible. I know that when I started to recover I felt entirely overwhelmed. Part of the recovery process is understanding how you got to this place. It can be tough to examine this, so tough that you may want to go back to using.
Remember that using is what got you here in the first place. Your addiction is what made you lose everything.
If you remain in the recovery process you are at least giving yourself a chance to succeed in life. If you do not remain, you will never know what you could truly be capable of.
You will never reach your full potential. Rock bottom is a scary place to go. The best thing is to avoid it at all if possible.
If you are reading this article and thinking the signs are sounding familiar either to yourself or a loved one, reach out to get help immediately. There is always time to change your path. There is always time to support a loved one.