You may be struggling with addiction and your friends are not helping you shake off these unhealthy habits. They make you feel like all of the poor decisions you have made are no big deal. It is important to understand that a true friend will support your recovery instead of bringing you down the dark road of addiction again.

Do Your Friends Justify Bad Behavior?

During a party, your friends may have cheered for you to continue drinking even if you tell them you are feeling sick. Your friends may have called your blackouts “epic” or laughed when you threw up from all of the alcoholic drinks. A true friend will call you out if they notice your behavior is making you sick or your drinking is getting dangerous. Consuming more and more alcohol until you feel weak is nothing to celebrate.

Do Your Friends Only Do Non-Sober Activities?

Your friends may be enabling your addiction by only choosing to do non-sober activities like binge drinking games or lighting a joint. There may be activities that were made to be sober like going to a concert, but they feel they cannot enjoy the concert without getting high or drunk. They may feel they need a bottle of wine to watch a movie. If every activity your friends invite you to involves drugs or alcohol, it is most likely you were a part of all of those activities. 

Do Your Friends Discourage You From Getting Help?

See how your friends react when you talk to them about rehab or the 12 step meeting you went to. See if they are sarcastic or make light of the efforts you have made towards your recovery. If your friends discourage you from getting help so that they do not get high alone, these are not real friends. A real friend will know that you need to get help for the sake of your physical and mental health.

Do Your Friends Threaten to Drop You as a Friend if You Achieve Sobriety?

A friend you need to cut out of your life is if they make you feel guilty for wanting to get better. They may tell you it is too weird to hang out with you if you are sober. The truth is that any friend who does not support your recovery is not one worth keeping when a real friend will encourage sobriety.

At Alta Loma Transformational Living, you will meet knowledgeable, compassionate professionals that understand addiction in all its forms.  Alta Loma uses an integrative and holistic approach to treat addiction and mental health issues. No treatment is one-size-fits-all, where you will have a team of experts prepared to create your customized treatment plan.  We offer care for your mind, body, and spirit, so that you can heal from the inside out and look forward to a lifetime of sobriety and wellness. If you are ready to take the first step in your recovery, please call us at 866-457-3843.