Friends and Addiction?

I think this is definitely another really common question I get asked when people talk to me about getting clean. I know it was for sure on my mind when I was in rehab.

"Do I really have to stop hanging out with my current friends?"

To be honest, I don't really know. Again, like all of my posts kinda say, it depends on the person and the people who are in their life. Also, I think it depends on how badly one wants to truly stay clean and no longer be in the grasp of their addiction. 

In my case, I knew right away I would have to make some changes. I kinda had two groups of friends:

• The friends I have kept that knew about my addiction but constantly tried to help
• The friends that joined in on everything and were in the same downward spiral I was in.

This last time I got clean was the first time I actually wanted to stay clean. Not just because I didn't have the money anymore. So anyways, at that point I knew that for this to even be possible I am going to have to surround myself with the people that truly want me to get better and are showing me that living sober is possible and, most importantly, not miserable. 

You have to kind of take yourself out of your own perspective and look at the situation from the outside. If you think being around [insert name here] is going to make you want to use or even just have drugs to give you, then for your own sake it would be better to no longer go about with them. 

I always thought of my friends as basically family, so I knew I couldn't just cut them out (which many people told me to do). I simply told them that for my own health, I have to focus on me right now and I couldn't put myself in that kind of situation. All of them knew they could come to me for help if they wanted to get clean. But even just sometimes talking on the phone to some of them was hard, so again, it depends on if you are comfortable with it. If you even have one doubt, then it would be safer not to. At least until you get more clean time under your belt and you feel like you can deal with it. 

Either way, if they really are your friend, you know... the real ones that actually want the best for you, then they will definitely understand. 

Besides, after some time I actually realized that I never really had anything in common with most of them, besides needing those drugs that is. So it was much easier to reestablish my friend circle than I originally thought. 

I wish the best to all of you

**In no way am I a counselor or professional in the subject. This is all simply based on personal experience**