If you’ve experienced addition to prescription medication, have you considered sharing your story with others? Sharing your story will help those who need a friendly push to get help. People will listen to you because you’ve walked the same path. It doesn’t matter if you’ve fully recovered or not. You can be on the road to recovery and still inspire others to seek help, too. You’ll inspire others by sharing your journey authentically, sharing the benefits you’ve experienced, and encouraging them to get help, too.
Struggling addicts don’t know what they’re missing out on
If you’ve sought recovery through private drug rehab, you know the power of individual attention and private guidance. You understand the healing capacity of individual therapy sessions and being provided healthy meals you don’t need to think about. You’re also aware of the support offered after leaving a program. Struggling addicts don’t know any of this. Or, if they know it conceptually, they don’t understand how healing a rehab environment can be. Their perception of a recovery program isn’t likely to be based in reality. It’s up to you to share your story and show them a different possibility.
Your story will help others realize their addictions
Painkillers, anxiety medicine, and ADHD pills are the most common prescriptions to result in abuse and addiction, according to professionals from His House. Common signs of prescription addiction include moving from one doctor to another, using multiple pharmacies and drug stores, agitation, and an arbitrary increase in dosage. Unfortunately, despite these signs, most people don’t realize when they’ve become addicted.
If you’re going to help another addict with your story, the first step is making it safe for them to acknowledge they have an addiction. When you share your story, talk about your fears and how you got past them. Were you afraid of being judged by friends and family? How did you overcome the hesitation to acknowledge your addiction? Addressing the concerns of an addict honestly will help them feel less alone on their journey.
When you tell a story, you’re bonding with your audience
Stories engage the entire brain, which is why storytelling is the most effective form of marketing. Most people don’t remember banner ads – they remember the stories that connect to their emotions. Once a person is emotionally affected by a story, the brain releases the powerful hormone oxytocin. This is the hormone that plays a role in bonding and generating trust.
Advertisers have been using storytelling in marketing campaigns for decades because it works. Case in point, when Toyota learned nobody cared whether they included fuel economy stats in their Prius ads, they switched to storytelling through video to get the message across.
For one video, Toyota gave a real-life couple a Prius to drive around until it ran out of gas. The video focused on the couple, not the car. At first, they’re having fun, laughing, giggling, and excited. After several hours, they’re frustrated and arguing. Seven hours into the drive, the girlfriend threatens to break up with the boyfriend if he doesn’t pull over. Twelve hours into the whole drive, they give up and park the car. The camera shows the fuel gauge, and the Prius has only used an eighth of a tank. The video went viral because people could relate to the story being told.
By telling your story and capturing your audience emotionally, you’re causing them to bond with you and trust you. Telling your story authentically is the way to generate an emotional connection with others. When an addict emotionally connects with your story, they’ll begin to trust you, and will be more likely to consider your suggestion to seek help.
Sharing your story will make the unknown less scary
Many people brush off private rehab because they don’t like the idea of giving up their existing life for a long period of time. They don’t know any other world, and even if rehab seems better, it’s difficult to embrace the unknown. They can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, or if they can, they’re not desperate enough to pursue it.
Share your story and start saving lives
According to the CDC, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Between 2000-2016, more than 600,000 people died from a drug overdose. Sharing your story has the power to make a difference. Even if your story saves just one addict’s life, you’ll also save the lives of their family, friends, and community.