Shame is a painful feeling of unworthiness often with can be caused -- or made worse -- by unhealthy drug use. To overcome shame, it helps to learn the power of self-compassion and self-love. At Confidant Health, we understand how difficult this can be, and our team will help you identify and overcome feelings of shame. You deserve to live your life without carrying the burden of shame.

Why Should We Overcome Shame?

Shame feeds a dangerous cycle of unhealthy drug use when it  disrupts essential aspects of life, such as :

  • Work

  • Family

  • Finances

  • Relationships

  • Self-confidence

Someone who sees the impact of their drug use may feel shame because of it, and that feeling can lead to further drug use. Overcoming shame is an essential step in developing a healthy relationship with drugs, potentially breaking the cycle. If feelings of shame trigger your drug use, your Confidant team will help you learn to overcome shame in a healthy way.

How Do We Overcome Shame?

Overcoming shame requires you to practice self-compassion and self-love. Self-love does not allow mental name-calling. Thinking harmful sentiments like "I'm an addict," "I'm worthless," or "I'm such a loser" create shame, so it's important to think more positively about yourself. 

Instead, you might think, "I am making progress," "I am worth loving no matter what," and "I love myself." Just like any skill, learning how to reframe your thoughts takes practice, so you can't let intrusive thoughts -- like, "This is stupid" -- stop you from trying.

Self-compassion means having patience with yourself as you work your way towards change. Sometimes it helps to put yourself in another person's shoes. If your best friend was going through this same journey, wouldn't you cheer on him or her? When you have a healthy amount of self-compassion, you become your own cheerleader.

It's important to realize that developing self-love and self-compassion will be a non-linear journey. It will look different for everyone. Once you get there, you will better understand why you feel shame and how to overcome it. In the meantime, trust Confidant Health to provide friendly, easy-to-understand explanations and exercises to help you develop these skills.