When I first started drinking, I thought I had everything under control. I only drank on the weekends and my weekly $15 bottle of tequila was only costing me $60 per month. I had a good job and money in the bank, so I thought I could afford it. However, as time went on, I found myself drinking every day, after work, of course, so now I was going through two bottles a week. It wasn’t long before I seemed to be needing more and more liquor to feel that rush that I came to love, and I began drinking from the time I got home from work until I went to bed. Is addiction draining your bank account? For me it was.
I started needing a little in the morning, before work, just to take the edge off. All the while, I was spending more and more money, and missing more days from work. Before I knew it, I had used up all my sick and vacation time. I was calling off work an average of twice per week. When I was there, my performance dropped off dramatically. My boss started writing me up. Eventually, I lost my job. I began living off of my savings and sitting around the house drinking instead of looking for another job. My bills were not getting paid on time, and I fell behind on my mortgage.
After I lost the house, I moved into a basement apartment in my sister’s house. I didn’t have to pay rent, so I used the proceeds I received from selling off most of my furniture to fund my habit. When my sister realized I wasn’t looking for another job, she gave me an ultimatum: get treatment or get out. I chose to get treatment. My addiction nearly ruined me financially. It took me five years to get back to where I was before I started drinking, and I am one of the lucky ones.
The Cost of Addiction
The relationship between addiction and poverty is a close one. Addiction makes maintaining healthy finances an impossible job because the addiction always comes first. The cost increases as long as one keeps drinking or using because as time goes on, it becomes harder to reach that initial level of satisfaction. The addict consumes more and more, desperately chasing that high. And the more one consumes, the more money is spent. Secondary factors also come into play. Addiction interrupts and causes chaos in every part of your life. Relationships crumble, jobs are lost, and you can end up in jail if your drug of choice is illegal. Rehabs are expensive, and if they don’t provide a good aftercare program, oftentimes addicts can’t handle the stress associated with maintaining sobriety, and they end up using again.
As they fall deeper into poverty and despair, they find comfort in their addiction, and it becomes a vicious cycle that is so very hard to break free of. The cost of purchasing one’s drug of choice goes beyond just the price of the drug. Other costs include:
- Missed work, loss of a job, and inability to find another one
- Medical costs due to the health problems the addiction causes
- Legal bills stemming from DUI’s or other charges
Stopping the Cycle
Once you realize that a substance, activity, or habit has taken control of your finances, it is time to get help. While the temptation to seek instant gratification will always be there, the only way to regain your financial freedom and your peace of mind is to focus solely on your future. The Oceanfront Recovery Addiction Treatment Program can help you or your loved one through the process of recovery from addiction. Some of the therapy programs offered at Oceanfront include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Therapy Program
- Adventure Therapy Program
- Holistic Therapy options
Our clinicians focus on bringing the underlying causes of addiction to the surface with a modern and effective recovery program in a closed setting. Contact Oceanfront Recovery today for a confidential assessment, and begin the journey of recovery today. Is addiction draining your bank account? Get help today and call 877.279.1777 to protect your future.
