The understanding of addiction has evolved significantly over the past few decades, moving from a stigmatic view that addicts are moral failures to a scientifically supported understanding of it as a chronic disease, which forms the basis of care provided to individuals and families by the professional coaches and interventionists at PRCI Wellness.

Shedding the unfair and false stigma of addiction is profoundly helpful in recovery for numerous reasons, impacting individuals, their families, and society as a whole. Here's a breakdown of why it’s so important for everyone to leave the stigma of addiction in the past:

1. Shifts Focus to a Disease Model

By challenging stigma, we move away from viewing addiction as a moral failing and toward understanding it as a complex, chronic brain disease. This shift is crucial because it:

• Promotes empathy: Acknowledging the biological and environmental factors involved fosters understanding rather than blame.

• Encourages evidence-based solutions: If it's a disease, it requires professional (i.e. medical, therapeutic, and coaching) interventions, not just willpower.

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At PRCI Wellness we teach the value of recognizing one’s tendency to seek comfort in trying circumstances, and instead, responding to tough situations by relying on their core values. This defining choice in recovery is critical, and the following key reasons explain why this is the focus of our Core Values Coaching approach:

• Long-Term vs. Short-Term Gratification: Addiction is often characterized by a pursuit of immediate pleasure or relief, even at the cost of long-term well-being. Running towards comforting behaviors such as the ingestion of chemicals to change one’s mood, while appealing, does not solve the problem, and in fact usually only delays and exacerbates it. In fact, seeking comfort can easily become a substitute for the addictive behavior itself if it's not aligned with deeper principles. Relying on core values, on the other hand, encourages a focus on what truly matters in the long run – health, integrity, relationships, personal growth – even if it involves short-term discomfort.

• Building True Resilience: Running to comfort avoids confronting difficult emotions, challenging situations, and the discomfort that often accompanies personal growth. True resilience is built by facing these challenges head-on and navigating them with a sense of purpose and self-awareness. When individuals rely on their values, they develop internal strength and coping mechanisms that are sustainable and don't depend on external sources of comfort.

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Addiction is often called a "family disease" not because it's genetically contagious, but because its pervasive and destructive effects ripple through the entire family system, impacting every member emotionally, psychologically, and often financially. It fundamentally disrupts healthy family dynamics and can create a cycle of dysfunction.

Here's how addiction presents as a family disease:

1. The Addiction Becomes the Central Focus

When one member of a family struggles with addiction, their substance use and its consequences tend to become the central organizing principle around which the family operates.

• Constant Crisis Management: Family life revolves around anticipating, reacting to, or covering up the addicted person's behavior.

• Secrets and Denial: To maintain a facade of normalcy or to avoid shame, families often keep the addiction a secret, leading to a culture of denial and dishonesty within the home. "Don't talk, don't trust, don't feel" becomes an unspoken rule.

• Broken Promises: The addicted individual frequently makes and breaks promises, leading to a cycle of hope and disappointment that erodes trust and creates emotional chaos for others.

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