It is one of the most famous scenes from one of the most famous motion pictures of all time (and certainly a classic for anyone who calls Kansas home).
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow (and, of course, Toto!) are headed into a forest along the Yellow Brick Road to Oz. They are understandably worried about encountering wild animals, including, as Dorothy puts it: “Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!”
Dorothy and her pals are worried about three things that potentially could be dangerous to come face to face with. Of course, the lion they do, in fact, encounter is more frightened of them than they are of him. But before the Cowardly Lion appears on the scene, the friends are pretty darn frightened.
For a person struggling with drugs or alcohol, there are three things that might cause the same sort of fear. We are going to take a look at blackouts and overdoses and relapses.
Oh, my!
Blackouts are Bad News
It can be really frightening to have a period of time simply vanish from your memory. Perhaps you remember getting to the bar and starting to knock back the drinks. That’s clear enough. But then all of a sudden, you snap to awareness—and discover you don’t know where you are, who you are with, what has been going on, or how much time has passed. You have experienced a blackout.
You haven’t been unconscious. Instead, your brain has stopped recording memories. You are still out there doing, well, whatever it is that you are doing. It might be something harmless. But during a blackout, you might also engage in all kinds of risky behavior—from drunk driving to fighting to engaging in a risky sexual encounter and more. Those activities, which you cannot even remember, can have serious consequences in your life—and in the lives of others you encounter during your blackout.
While there isn’t necessarily a one-to-one correspondence between blackouts and substance use disorders, a blackout experience should give you pause. Drinking is obviously risky for you, and it may well be time to change your behavior to protect yourself and others.
Overdoses are Unpredictable
Whether an overdose occurs accidentally or as a result of deliberate behavior, the results may well be nothing short of deadly.
A person who is regularly using drugs or alcohol can develop a tolerance for their substance of choice. That means it takes more (and more and then more) of the substance to achieve the same effects—and that can easily lead to trouble. As a person ingests increasing amounts, the risk of overdose increases. Each individual is different, so the moment of overdose cannot be predicted, which makes ongoing use of drugs or alcohol a risky proposition all of the time.
We should also note that new drug users are at significant risk of an overdose as well. With no sense of how any given drug will affect them, they can not assess the risks with any sort of clarity. A first use can easily lead to an overdose that can lead to death.
Overdoses are also a risk for those struggling with a mental health disorder who might be considering suicide and for children who might mistake medication or drugs for candy.
No matter how or why an overdose occurs, immediate medical attention is required.
Relapses are a Reality
Once a person has regained their sobriety and begun their recovery journey, their fear is likely to shift from things like blackouts and overdoses to the danger of relapse. Even with a set of strategies for keeping them at bay, relapses are still quite common for those in the early days of their recovery. Losing one’s hard-won sobriety can be devastating (and can, of course, put blackouts and overdoses back in play).
For some, that devastation is strong enough to cause a person to give up on sobriety. But that, of course, is not the right move. Instead, a person who experiences a relapse should return to treatment and reclaim their sobriety again. A return to treatment allows for a fine-tuning of the treatment plan, and an opportunity to learn more about yourself, your disorder, and the most effective ways for you to maintain your sobriety.
You Always Have the Power to Get Help
At the end of The Wizard of Oz, Glenda the Good Witch explains to Dorothy that she always had the power to return home to Kansas. “You just had to learn it for yourself,” she says.
Similarly, you also have the power to get the help you need to overcome a substance use disorder (and any co-occurring mental health disorders that may be a contributing factor). You don’t need a wizard any more than Dorothy did. But you do need a treatment center devoted to evidence-based, compassionate, and personalized care.
You can find those things at Bel Aire Recovery Center (which is still in Kansas…just like we have always been).
