Why Can't I Just Stop?
It’s a Question Many People Ask Themselves.
One of the most frustrating parts of addiction is that many people genuinely want to stop.
They can see the impact substance use is having on their relationships, health, work, finances, or overall quality of life. They may have promised themselves countless times that they will cut back, take a break, or stop altogether, only to find themselves repeating the same pattern.
This often leads to shame, frustration, and self-criticism.
Is Addiction a Choice or a Disease?
Whilst great inroads have been made into community attitudes towards addiction and mental health generally, there is still quite a bit of misunderstanding.
Some people view addiction purely as a genetic disease and others as a choice. The reality is not as simplistic as either. In reality, addiction is often a combination of medical illness and decisions that the person may have little control over, particularly in the advanced stages of addiction.
This is one of the reasons people can become so frustrated with themselves. They know what they want to do, they know the consequences of continuing, but still find themselves returning to the same behaviour.
Why Is Addiction Different?
Treatment for addiction is unique in that many of the most successful and established addiction treatment programs contain a spiritual element.
This is largely related to 12-step principles which were established in the 1930s partly inspired by renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
So why is addiction unique in this way?
No other mental health disorder contains a spiritual program as its foundation.
The reason is that addiction is, on the one hand, fuelled by a chemical dependence in the brain, normally driven by dopamine pathways. However, behind this there is often another type of sickness or psychological injury that steers the person back towards substance use if it is not addressed.
Recovery Is About More Than Stopping
Whilst a person may be able to successfully withdraw from drugs or alcohol on their own, if they do not deal with the root cause of their addiction, experience tells us that the chances of relapse are extremely high.
This is why addiction treatment is about much more than simply removing the substance.
It is about understanding what is driving the addiction in the first place, addressing the underlying issues, and developing healthier ways of coping with life.
Addiction treatment is a unique and complex journey, although often a very rewarding one.
Many people come out the other side more aware of themselves, more connected to the people around them, and more focused on serving their family and loved ones rather than their addiction.