How to heal a disease of perceptions?
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4,036
How to heal a disease of perceptions?
Alcoholism seems to be a counter-intuitive disease that affects all who are near it.
Today I heard again at a meeting the concept of this family disease of alcoholism being a disease of perceptions. I really relate to this. Stepping out of being a victim and becoming empowered to succeed in all areas of our lives, in natural, easy ways is possible. I have choices.
"I can take care of myself no matter what else is going on."
Input and viewpoints welcome.
Today I heard again at a meeting the concept of this family disease of alcoholism being a disease of perceptions. I really relate to this. Stepping out of being a victim and becoming empowered to succeed in all areas of our lives, in natural, easy ways is possible. I have choices.
"I can take care of myself no matter what else is going on."
Input and viewpoints welcome.
Life is good
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 4,036
There's probably many ways to interpret it, which is why I posted.
One recovery center has this:
In the essence of it being a disease that also effects friends and family members, our perceptions are changed/skewed as we interact with an illogical situation.
If one is ill, doesn't it make sense to simply seek out treatment?
If alcohol (or dealing with an addict/alcoholic) is creating physical/health/stress/life issues, wouldn't it make sense to simply not drink or deal with the chaos or altered behaviors, or somehow deal with these things in a manner that establishes healthy living for the family?
One recovery center has this:
The more you drink, the more of a dependence on alcohol you build, and the more detached from reality you become. Continued abuse of alcohol leads to addiction, and this disease is completely fueled by a loss of touch with reality. Denial that there’s a problem at all is a stereotypical characteristic of alcoholics, and it’s one that holds true. Alcoholism damages the part of the brain that established cause and effect, making it impossible for the alcoholic to understand how much damage is being done by their addictive behavior.
If one is ill, doesn't it make sense to simply seek out treatment?
If alcohol (or dealing with an addict/alcoholic) is creating physical/health/stress/life issues, wouldn't it make sense to simply not drink or deal with the chaos or altered behaviors, or somehow deal with these things in a manner that establishes healthy living for the family?
A glass can be looked at as either half full, or half empty. An optimistic person will always tell you that glass of water is half full, while the pessimist will argue that it is half empty. This is all based on one’s perception of the glass. They are both looking at the same glass, so how can they see these things so differently? This, to me, sums up the life of a drug addict. In active addiction the glass is always, always, always half empty. It is the story of our lives. Nothing is ever good enough. Changing our perception is a key step for many in order to recover from the disease of addiction.
We suffer from a disease of the brain which directly effects the way we perceive things. Blaming everyone else for our problems is our way of taking the attention off of ourselves. We lie to ourselves so often that in the end we believe the idea that all of our problems were someone else’s fault, or a serious of misfortunate events that make us the unluckiest people on earth.
We suffer from a disease of the brain which directly effects the way we perceive things. Blaming everyone else for our problems is our way of taking the attention off of ourselves. We lie to ourselves so often that in the end we believe the idea that all of our problems were someone else’s fault, or a serious of misfortunate events that make us the unluckiest people on earth.
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Originally Posted by Mango212 
Alcoholism seems to be a counter-intuitive disease that affects all who are near it.
Today I heard again at a meeting the concept of this family disease of alcoholism being a disease of perceptions. I really relate to this. Stepping out of being a victim and becoming empowered to succeed in all areas of our lives, in natural, easy ways is possible. I have choices.
"I can take care of myself no matter what else is going on."
Input and viewpoints welcome.
Today I heard again at a meeting the concept of this family disease of alcoholism being a disease of perceptions. I really relate to this. Stepping out of being a victim and becoming empowered to succeed in all areas of our lives, in natural, easy ways is possible. I have choices.
"I can take care of myself no matter what else is going on."
Input and viewpoints welcome.
But I think that’s exactly what happens in dysfunctional home environments, the world revolves around the addict. When a parent isn’t all there because of addiction, and the other parent has his or her own issues stuff/ denial, the home life for the child/ children ends up being full of chaos and unpredictability. It becomes about survival, and walking on eggshells. The “problem”/unstable family member dictates the mood for the entire family, and those living in that environment have to find ways to cope.
This is also true, and the outcome for, people living in an environment with people who are addicted to other things or have other problems (sex, gambling, other addictions, mental health issues, crazy abusive people who have no business raising children). These patterns and ways of relating often get carried into adulthood, and the cycle continues.
I think regarding the perceptions, I don’t think it’s so much a disease of perceptions, as much as it is an ingrained way of thinking and being. However I don’t think it’s hopeless, there are many therapies out there that can help with this (CBT is one I personally like). Maybe that’s the message about perceptions, is you don’t have to continue to live that way?
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I had not thought of healing as perception as much as the more learning I embody the better the prescription of my glasses get.....
Thus I can see more clearly. In that way my perceptions have deepened, improved and changed.
Thus I can see more clearly. In that way my perceptions have deepened, improved and changed.
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