• Am I always going to be addicted?
• When you consider legal substances, an amazing number of people actually spend their lives in and out of some sort of addiction. For some it might be caffeine, for others, nicotine. As you have demonstrated some vulnerability yourself to addiction, there is a good chance that you will always need to watch your use of substances, whatever they are. However, there is no reason to believe that you will spend the rest of your life addicted to opiates.
  
  The most important thing for you to recognise is that you may have a long battle on your hands and that this may involve starting treatment several times over before you manage to get to where you want to be in terms of controlling your life and your drug use. The more forgiving you are of yourself, and the more realistic your expectations of treatment, the more you will be able to keep your eye on the horizon of where you ultimately plan to be rather than being distracted and overwhelmed by the hurdles you encounter. And you will encounter them. Beating yourself up for any slips or relapses is just the start of a vicious circle: you may be more inclined to use when you are feeling despondent or negative.
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