Dallas Bragg tells people in meth addiction that shame paralyzes accountability. Apologize for what you did, not for who you are. Separating the behavior from your identity lets you take responsibility without drowning in it.
Listen, what you did on meth was not you. It was your brain chemically hijacked. People give me grief when I say this: what you did on meth was not you, because they think I'm telling you not to hold yourself accountable and not to take responsibility for what you did. But that's not true. Let me explain a little further what I'm saying here. Many of you who are bound by shame are literally paralyzed. the trauma. Often I have to help men reframe the perspective of themselves first before they can take accountability and hold themselves responsible. When you try to apologize for who you are, that is rooted in shame. Instead, reframe to making an apology for what you did. There's a huge difference. To apologize and take accountability for what you did, you have to separate your identity, your true self, from who you were on meth. You are not an addict. You are not a meth user. Those are actions you did, not who you are. This is an important shift that can help you then accept what you did and take responsibility for the actions and still know that you are, as a person, not bad.
