how to break the addiction cycle

The DSM 5 acknowledges that people are different, and not all are automatically predisposed to addiction or equally vulnerable to developing SUDs. Furthermore, some people have far lower levels of self-control that predispose them to develop problems if they’re exposed to addictive drugs. Mental health conditions, stress, and grief can all trigger the need for soothing and distraction. Drugs and alcohol can serve as a tool for self-medication, providing temporary relief from symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and others.

Strategies for Recovery

This will further help you stick to your goal of completely avoiding going back into an addiction cycle. Another strategy that can best help you avoid relapsing is identifying triggers that might stimulate you to engage in addictive behavior. However, this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds because a trigger can be anything. This includes your marriage, a stressful job, social situations, certain people or places that cause you marijuana addiction to crave engaging in that addictive behavior, and others. When this takes place, the person feels temporary relief from their pain and suffering.

Preventing Relapse

According to this study, missing one opportunity to practice the behavior did not derail the habit-forming process. So if you miss one day of a healthy habit, there is no need to lose hope in making that positive behavior a habit. Making a habit out of this coping mechanism impacts the brain and its reward system. Addictive substances alter the brain’s grey matter and direct which path the brain will take the next time the substance is used. When this alteration occurs, the brain’s powerful role in human behavior pushes addiction further and pulls individuals into the toxic cycle. By having a support system, you’ll feel more motivated to deal with your addictive behavior than if you’re dealing with it alone.

Stages of the Addiction Cycle

how to break the addiction cycle

Understanding drug abuse and addiction are necessary for successful management. Drug abuse is the use of an illegal substance or the improper use of a legal substance. A person can engage in drug abuse without being necessarily addicted, but continuous substance abuse will inevitably lead to an addiction.

And so we are set up to re-triggered back into the cycle again. After the unwanted feelings and then the triggers, a person may enter into the Addiction Cycle. After following their ritual, the addict uses drugs or alcohol to suppress, turn off, or ignore what’s triggering them. When an addict has a craving, they also often follow a specific ritual as part of the addiction.

how to break the addiction cycle

Don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to provide the support you deserve, anytime, day or night. The addiction has caused you severe financial stress or legal problems. Or we can notice we are triggered and reach out for contact with someone helpful or do something else until the urge goes away. These rituals can be brief and straightforward or elaborate and take quite a long time. They can be unconscious, and elements can seem unimportant until you see they are all part of the picture of getting to the goal of indulging the addiction.

Most people’s ideal recovery journey doesn’t include relapsing. It’s okay if it happens, but it’s also something you can proactively work to prevent. You may practice these skills in professional treatment, like joining a relapse prevention group in rehab. Therapy can teach you how to regulate your emotions and how you respond to them. You can also keep a few strategies in hand to mitigate a relapse before it happens.

how to break the addiction cycle

Many people cannot break out of the addiction cycle due to denial or justification of the problem. If your loved one is trapped in the addiction cycle, the first thing is to help them see that they have a problem. These changes will work for a while until the brain becomes tolerant to the new dosage, forcing the choose the correct cycle of addiction. person to increase the dosage again. At this stage, the individual will progress to heavy substance use, leading to the next stage. The pleasure from initial use is powerful and can drive a person to continue using the substance. This is the first step towards addiction that leads to the next.

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