Although self-awareness can potentially be an incredibly disagreeable experience for some, it seems to be a core issue that needs to be addressed, especially when substance abuse is involved. Because substances act as a way of avoiding the internal spotlight, abusers usually don’t strike at the heart of the real problems that tear at their souls.

Drugs as an Illusion

A problem that may arise in treatment is actually getting a person to focus on themselves if they had previously had an aversion to it. If a substance abuser is willing to engage in destructive habits to avoid looking inward, then it must be for a good reason. Usually this reason is the fact that what they see in themselves does not match who they really are, and this creates great unease. Drugs mask this by putting a veil over these uneasy feelings. Not only is it hard for a person to deal with these issues while using drugs as a crutch, not having a crutch will be far more difficult. As such, it may be a good idea for therapists to be extra sensitive to introspective techniques.

Potential for Change

As hard and as painful as it might be for a person to become self-aware and face their internal conflicts, it could yield significant change in thoughts, behaviors, and self-concepts. The combination of these things could produce lasting change in behavior, and ideally make unnecessary the use of drugs or alcohol as a way to deal with underlying problems.