Shame is a painful emotion that is so powerful, indefinable and complicated for the person who experiences it after worst happening. It works as a carrier of sentimental orchestra in humans that bring emotional changes as they experience in different situations. The unhealthy function of shame is abandonment, humiliation, isolation and disappointment that contain pathological affect whereas, positivity and motivation works to protect one and perform healthy functioning. However, in alcoholics and addicts it tend to exist as a more persistent, stable and undeniable state because of their habitually unhealthy lifestyle. To avoid feeling of being judged or humiliated, addicts don’t seek help from others. The irrepressible urge to use alcohol or other drugs force addicts to make it compulsion for themselves but whenever they do so feeling of guilt or shame surrounds their actions. People have a misconception about addiction, they holds a belief that an addict have a freedom to use drugs whenever he wants. They do not consider addiction as a mental illness. Whereas, mental health professionals view addiction as a continuous mental disorder. Alcoholics or other drug users feel problematic to shift past perceptions of their peers.
Miss Afreen Naseem completed M.Phil from Institute of Clinical Psychology. After completion of study she worked at Pakistan Institute of Learning and Living as a Research Assistant/Clinical Psychologist. Her skills are in the domain of Psychotherapy Psychological and IQ assessment, Interview and History Taking, skilled in Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral therapy and Family therapy.She had an internship experience in Karachi Psychiatric Hospital and PNS Shifa Hospital as an Internee Clinical Psychologist
Editor: Mr. Wakeel Murad
Most people feel themselves unable to handle the situation where they think that handling of shameful emotion will be difficult or they might feel shameful when encounter it. Although, feeling of shame is a natural response but people don’t accept it and try to avoid this feeling. Our autonomic nervous system responds to our emotions naturally. The physiological symptom are like blushing, sweating, rapid heartbeat, avoid contact, nervousness or dizziness.
People often puzzled shame with guilt, for many professional it is an important issue which need to be handle when someone wants to get rid of his addictive behavior. This issue might be the core of addiction. A study conducted at University of British Columbia suggested that the chances of relapse and health problem may be increases when an alcoholic feels shame for his past unacceptable acts.
Why Shame is so Hurting?
Feeling of shame is entirely a personal feeling which is related to inner side of a person. On the other hand, judgment of what is right or wrong is related with guilt. The extreme feeling of inferiority, inadequacy, and complexity is trigger when person have to face the feeling of shame. Whereas, guilt prompt to compensate your behavior by repairing or correcting it. People feel embarrassment when their weakness are expose in front of their love one, they think that others target to insult or humiliate their prestige.