Dallas Bragg identifies six excuses men use to stay trapped in substance use: keeping old phone numbers, claiming they don't follow through, buying burner phones to bypass blocks, saying meth fuels creativity, treating dealers as friends, and blaming addiction as a disease. Each one is a door you prop open yourself.
All right, here are 6 top excuses that I've been hearing lately that are keeping men stuck in the relapse cycle. See if you can identify with any of these, and if you have one that's not listed here, tell us in the comments an excuse that's keeping you stuck or have kept you stuck in the past. All right, number 1. Had my number too long. This is when men know that they need to change their number because it's full of user buddies and dealers and they're getting random texts that's making them go use. Yes, you may have had the number for a long time. Yes, all your clients might, you know, your actual work clients may have it. What does— what are you willing to do to break away from Kim's ex? That phone is the detriment to your recovery. Okay, next: I just don't follow through. This is an identity. This is when the excuse is actually some identity you've accepted that I just don't follow through, I just don't have good habits, I just don't do routines. I just can't do something consistently every day. That is a cop-out. That is identifying with a belief that is limiting your recovery. Next. I'll just buy a track phone. This is for people who we tell them that they need to put blocks on their phone so they can't access and download Grindr, Sniffies, and other apps. And they'll say, well, I'll just go to Walmart and buy a track phone. That is not the point. That is an irrelevant fact because if you're going to Walmart to buy a track phone you're going to use anyway, You wanna put a pause between the urge and the ability to access the substance so you can pause and hopefully come get this back online and come to your senses so you won't use. Next. I need meth for creativity, energy. Another excuse, another belief that you need meth to be creative and to have energy. That is not true. Your body and your creativity can be accessed in other ways, but you're going to have to work for it. Meth is the ultimate shortcut. Next, my dealer is my friend. This is what sometimes we hide behind because the dealers have been our friends and our buddies. And being— having that access as that— having that dealer as that friend is keeping you in the relapse cycle. Then just take a break from the friendship. Let that dealer know, look, I'm not breaking up with you. I'm taking a step back for my health and for my recovery, and I'm pausing our relationship. If you phrase it that way, sometimes it feels a little bit better, but that can be an excuse you get hung up on. And last, It's my disease. Whether or not you buy into the disease model of addiction, accepting that it's a disease and hiding behind that and using that as an excuse instead of addressing your behavior keeps a lot of you stuck. All right, what'd I miss? Tell me in the comments.
