Wanting Help vs. Accepting Help in Addiction

Acknowledging the need for help is a crucial step in addiction recovery, but there’s a big difference between wanting help and accepting it.

Wanting help means recognizing that addiction has taken control, that life has become unmanageable. But accepting help—whether through rehab, therapy, or a support group—requires something deeper: trust, vulnerability, and the willingness to let others in.

Recovery isn’t just about knowing you need change; it’s about taking the steps to make it happen. The hardest part isn’t asking for help—it’s allowing yourself to receive it.

If you're struggling, take that next step. Help is out there, and you don’t have to do this alone.

My Journey from Wanting Help to Accepting It

It took me a long time to realize that I not only needed help but that I had to accept the help being offered to me. I remember exactly where I was when I took my first step toward sobriety—outside a courtroom for a driving on a suspended license charge. That’s where I ran into my criminal defense attorney, who was handling my felony case.

He asked how I was doing, and I just looked at him, almost in tears, and asked if he was still able to get me help. Excited, he said yes and said he would make a phone call. But even after that moment, I wasn’t fully ready. Instead of heading home to ride out the withdrawals, I ran off to Washington D.C. to score.

As we met the dealer, my lawyer called and told me I had until 6 p.m. to get to CATS Detox in Fairfax, VA. I hesitated. I stayed in D.C. a little longer before finally heading toward Fairfax. I remember clear as day doing a shot of heroin while driving down the highway. My using companions pulled up to the front of the building, just as high as I was, and said, "You got this." As I walked into the building, I threw my syringe in the trash, thinking it would be my last time using.

It wasn’t. But that moment was the start of something bigger. Six months later, I fully accepted the help that was being given to me by my AA sponsor at the time, and my sobriety date was set in stone.

Recovery isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t happen overnight. But when you truly accept the help being offered, it changes everything.