Hitting rock bottom and how it can help

Rock bottom is a place no one wants to be. Yet, for an uncountable number of people, it’s where they find themselves during the throes of addiction or mental health battles. At rock bottom, everything feels broken, including the chance of recovery.

What is rock bottom?

Rock bottom is the point you hit when you feel like you can’t sink any lower. It’s often used in terms of having an addiction to alcohol or other substances, but rock bottom can happen to a person with any mental health problem.

It’s that moment when a person thinks, “Things can no longer go on this way. There must be a way out…”

Arriving in this state can follow after job loss, severe illness, or the death of a loved one. However, a lot of people at rock bottom don’t feel that they arrived there from one single event, instead perceiving their arrival as a culmination of countless losses.

What does hitting rock bottom feel like?

The impact felt by the hit at rock bottom is unique to each person. While every person’s experience varies, some signs may indicate when someone has reached or is nearing rock bottom.

Hitting rock bottom through mental health issues

A person with a severe mental illness may experience rock bottom without being affected by any substances. A person with a severe mental illness may reach a state where motivation, joy and even self-compassion grow distant. Signs to look for in a person hitting rock bottom include:

• Overwhelming despair and hopelessness: When talking or observing someone who has hit rock bottom, they only ever see negative outcomes; a cloud of darkness always seems to be felt, and they can’t find a way out.
• Deteriorating personal hygiene: The first thing you might notice in someone when they’ve hit rock bottom is a lack of personal hygiene. Overwhelming depression takes a toll on simple tasks people perform when they get out of bed, like showering. This person might stop making efforts to groom themselves or repeatedly wear dirty clothes.
• Severe sleeping issues: Though not a classifiable mental health disorder, sleep disorders are commonly experienced by people hitting rock bottom. Sleeping for too long or having insomnia can be signs of depression, and this person may constantly be devoid of the energy needed to make a change.
• Social isolation: Seeing someone hit rock bottom may mean they no longer want to spend any time around the people who love them. They may grow increasingly irritable and hostile toward people they used to love, which can be disturbing to witness.

Hitting rock bottom through an addiction

Hitting rock bottom often happens for people with an alcohol addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD). Drugs have an unreliable and temperamental effect on a person. Sometimes it can be easier to observe a person hitting rock bottom with an addiction than someone suffering from a severe mental illness (SMI).

Some of the ways you might observe a person with an alcohol or drug addiction hitting rock bottom include:

• Overdosing: This is one of the most direct representations of hitting rock bottom in addiction. Overdoses are often fatal, and a person with an addiction might willingly or accidentally take enough of a drug to threaten their own life.
• Loss of employment or eviction: While some people can function professionally while battling an addiction, over time their work performance is likely to suffer, potentially leading them to lose their jobs. Addictions often have dangerous financial consequences over time, so bills and living expenses are pushed aside to make way for substance access.
• Legal and familial problems: You might recognise a person’s substance use getting them into trouble with the law, which can be a clear sign that their addiction is getting out of hand. Family units may break down as they return to using the drug, leading to broken families and divorce.

Is hitting rock bottom sometimes needed to recover?

After outlining some of the signs that a person is hitting rock bottom, it’s important to understand that for many people, recognising that you’re at the point of rock bottom means the only way from here is up. Hitting rock bottom is not a prerequisite for addiction recovery, though it can provide a painful point of reference for people who decide that a change is needed.

There is a famous line from Dante Alighieri’s 17th-century poem the Divine Comedy that reads:

“The path to paradise begins in hell.”

We feel this quote may illustrate that at our bleakest hour, a stark honesty may pierce through our darkest thoughts. This moment where every sense and semblance of order falls away holds a unique power. Knowing there is no level lower than the level you’re on can provide clarity and help you contextualise the situation you’re in.

The clarity isn’t comfortable. It brings up raw emotions and hard truths. Yet, for some people, this moment of reflection allows the process of change to take root, recognising that there’s nowhere left to go but up.

This is why some mental health experts emphasise that the first thing someone reaching out for help needs is hope. In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), this message is echoed by the phrase, “There is a solution,” which is also a chapter title in their renowned Big Book, one of the most widely read addiction recovery texts worldwide.

What to do when you’ve hit rock bottom

Hitting rock bottom is often a place of profound vulnerability, but it is also a moment rich with the potential for change. If you ever find yourself or a loved one at the lowest of low points, it can be beneficial to remember that change can begin with small, compassionate steps.

Here are some actions that may help ease the pain felt at rock bottom:

• Acknowledge the moment: Hitting rock bottom will probably involve feelings of shame, sadness, anger, or regret. The severity of emotions may feel overwhelming, but recognising and embracing them may help you move out of your darkest moment. Acknowledging feelings can become a way of reclaiming the experience, rather than being trapped by it.
• Seek support: The days, weeks, or months leading up to rock bottom can feel extremely lonely. Even if there are genuine efforts to help, a person at rock bottom may convince themselves that no support exists. Confiding in family and friends should be the first action, or reach out to support groups and mental health professionals as and when you can. Sharing the experience can lighten the weight that holds you down.
• Set small, attainable goals: Rock bottom is an all-encompassing state of depression, where nothing feels achievable. At this point, writing down daily intentions or minuscule positive changes can help. Hitting rock bottom can so easily convince a person that no goal is achievable. By making smaller goals, you can prove to yourself that change is possible, however small or gradual it is.
• Forgive yourself: Regret and guilt are feelings that await a person approaching rock bottom. A lot of the time, contributing factors that lead you to rock bottom are not your own fault. Past actions do not define who you are today. Letting go of self-blame can be a liberating relief for someone struggling in the depths of despair.
• Visualise a new path: Our final action to take requires you to picture a life beyond this low point. Picture yourself as someone who is stronger, healthier, fulfilled and content. If you recognise how substance abuse carried you to rock bottom, visualise a life of complete sobriety, away from substance abuse and addiction. This can give you a vision to build on.

Hitting rock bottom can feel catastrophic, but for some people, it may mark the start of transformation and self-healing. Small actionable steps may bring you closer to life after rock bottom—a stronger, more resilient and self-compassionate.

I’m at rock bottom, can anyone help me?

Reaching the lowest points of your life can happen to anyone who has a severe mental illness, an eating disorder or a drug addiction. Sometimes, escaping rock bottom on your own isn’t enough. Seeking help while at rock bottom is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Here at UKAT, we provide support for people at rock bottom to manage addictions and eating disorders. Our dedicated team of mental health professionals offers a range of evidence-based treatments, including psychotherapy and medication management.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to find out more. The help you need is only one phone call away.