Interchangeable words such as accountability and blame are often used in our society without distinguishing between the two. Those who use the words interchangeably often find themselves with their life working against them rather than for them and may find themselves falling into a cycle of human error.
Blame and accountability are words found in addiction recovery, but there is a considerable difference between the terms. As you undergo addiction recovery treatment, you must learn that taking accountability for mistakes you've made and asking others to do the same is important, while putting blame on anyone is unproductive and harmful.
Accountability and blame are often used as synonyms, but this is incorrect. Accountability allows people to own up to mistakes and make them right, while blame assigns responsibility wrongly or without acknowledgment that humans are apt to err. Learning to be accountable for personal behavior can help you redirect your intentions and eliminate blame. Many individuals struggle with accountability because they utilize blame which doesn't allow much room for people to make things right.
The differences between blame and accountability outline beliefs, focuses, and results. For example, when individuals take full advantage of blame, they see people as the problem rather than the solution or problem solvers. Likewise, when blame is used as a focus, it is usually about who was wrong in the past, while accountability covers the future and how one can improve moving forward. Accountability and blame lines can get blurred when someone struggles with substance use.
Those who struggle with substance use often lack the self-awareness to take accountability and tend to shift blame around. The lines of accountability and blame can be un-blurred in treatment because the person in treatment learns to own up to mistakes and can make changes to avoid them in the future. This replaces blame with accountability.
To err is human, said the poet Alexander Pope, and yet when humans err, they often try to find someone else to blame for their mistake. For example, if an employer asks an employee to do a task and that task is performed incorrectly, resulting in a negative business outcome, both people will likely try to make the other the scapegoat. The employer will blame the employee's incompetence or lack of care. The employee will blame his employer's lack of direction or instruction. In the end, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and neither person scapegoating the other gets the task done correctly. It is a vicious cycle and paralyzes both parties.
In addiction recovery, many individuals often don't acknowledge that human error is natural and to be expected and therefore push the blame onto other people. However, after one goes through the recovery process, they are taught various techniques and modalities to eliminate making a human error scapegoat and pursue solutions-based ways to make fewer mistakes and keep themselves more accountable to produce solutions.
As mistakes lead to consequences, consequences often lead people to make more mistakes to cover up past ones. They think that if they just ignore the original folly and misdirect others to ignore it too, they won't have to deal with it. This creates a cycle of mistakes, cover-ups, and ignorance.
While everyone’s situation is different and individuals use substances for other reasons, alterations to normal brain functions are a common denominator among those with addictions. When substances enter the brain, it changes people's perceptions and can lead to maliciousness, unresolved problems, and deflecting blame towards others. Therefore, in addiction recovery treatment, professionals encourage quality programs and modalities to uncover the underlying reasons for substance use work through them to achieve accountability.
Each individual must find accountability in their life to sustain abstinence. Again, accountability is different than blame. Recovering individuals must take accountability for the things that have hurt their loved ones in the past and use their friends and family as an accountability structure. This means that those close to the person recovering will help make sure they are on the right path and not engaging in any behaviors that will jeopardize their sobriety. This helps break the cycle of mistakes and ignorance.
Addiction recovery treatment is a way to help those who struggle with substance use learn to take responsibility for corrective action to take accountability for human error and avoid blame. Furthermore, treatment focuses on forgiveness and awareness to rebuild damaged relationships, work concerns, and family conflicts. Addiction recovery treatment is an ideal way for individuals to obtain higher respect for themselves and redesign or rebuild pathways to a healthy life.
Those who struggle with substance use tend to lack self-compassion or the confidence to find a purpose-driven life because substance use alters their cognitive reasoning. However, once the substance is eliminated from the body, healthcare professionals can redirect shame and blame errors towards accountability and personal progression. At NorthStar Transitions, we want you to be free of substance use and learn how to find a purpose-driven life without blame for human error. We believe that the healing powers of holistic and evidence-based treatment options can help you design a stepping stone in life and ultimately provide you with positive change and growth. If you or your loved one struggle with substance use, find it hard to distinguish the differences between accountability and blame or want to learn more about how to adjust your mindset, we can help. For more information on NorthStar Transitions treatment services for substance use, contact us at (303) 558-6400.
