On paper, it is easy to see why you should quit using drugs or alcohol. Perhaps people in your life have encouraged you, or you’ve lost friends, partners, family, jobs, or worse because of your addiction. All of these motivations make it very clear that you need to stop, but for some reason, you just cannot seem to quit forever. Why is quitting so hard?
Don’t Buy Into the Stigma
First of all, having a drug or alcohol addiction does not make you a bad person. Don’t buy into the stigma that somehow you are less than or not worth wellness and happiness. You are worth it. Despite portrayals of addiction in books, the media, film, social media, or elsewhere that addiction is a weakness or some kind of moral failing, that is all stigma—and it is not true.
As with anything else in life, you are human. Humans are susceptible to illness, injury, disease, disorders, and death. Those are just the facts of life. You are no better or worse than any human being on this planet, and your addiction does not change that fact. Don’t believe the stigma.
Addiction is a Medical Disorder
Like other chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease, addiction is also a chronic medical condition. You must maintain treatment throughout your life to achieve wellness when dealing with the diagnosis of addiction. The fact that anyone looks at it as anything other than a medical condition says more about them than about you or your addiction.
Some people argue that addiction is self-inflicted, yet they see diabetes as a misfortune rather than self-inflicted. Illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and other medical conditions can also be prevented. The point is that once the condition exists, addiction is worthy of the same medical care and maintenance as any other chronic medical condition.
Substances Cause Changes in the Brain
There are common misconceptions that quitting is just a matter of willpower. Substances can cause changes in the brain that are not easy to just override. According to Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience, there is a change in chemicals and hormones in the brain as addiction takes over. As substances are consumed, more dopamine is released in the reward center of the brain. The brain, in turn, wants more of the substance because dopamine causes happiness and pleasure. Depending on the substance, the brain may quickly demand more of the substance as the effects create less pleasure. Because the brain is the control center of the body, it can be nearly impossible to override these changes in your brain.
This is the neurobiology of addiction that the reward center of the brain is altered to the point that it overrides anything else, including the body’s need for food, sleep, and more. It is not that you are “weak-minded” or lacking in willpower. It is that your brain has essentially rewired itself to focus entirely on the acquisition and use of substances. That is not easy to overcome. That is why quitting is so hard.
The Why of Using is the Why of Not Quitting
Another reason that quitting is so difficult is the reason you began using substances in the first place. For most people, they began by self-medicating for mental illness, trauma, or other pain. As long as these factors still exist and are not treated and resolved, your reason why you use a substance is also going to be why you struggle so much to quit.
One of the misconceptions about addiction treatment is that it is all about getting sober. That is only part of it. Treatment involves finding and resolving the why of your substance use. Therapy and other forms of treatment can help heal the deep wounds so that your sobriety becomes recovery. When the whole person is treated, quitting becomes more realistic.
Relapse is Real
Knowing about the neurobiology of addiction, it is easy to see how relapse can occur. Cravings are intense and can keep coming back for a very long time. There is also that reason why—if underlying emotions driving addiction are not resolved, and healing is not complete, then the risk of relapse is very real.
Quitting is hard because your brain, emotions, history, and more are stacked against you. Recovery is about so much more than just getting or staying sober. It is about healing the deep wounds, about helping your brain to heal, and about caring deeply enough about yourself that you are willing to do the work from today forward, every single day.
Why is quitting so hard? The deck of cards is stacked against you. Your brain has been rewired by substance abuse, your mental health or trauma or other emotional wounds are unresolved and continuously haunting you. Not only is your body demanding that you continue drinking or using drugs, every time you do manage to get sober, relapse can sneak up on you. Even though the cards are stacked against you, with proper treatment, you can actually quit for good. By looking at the whole person, you can heal and begin your recovery. Rancho Milagro Recovery offers care from people who struggle with addiction and need help. Our Southern California location is secluded yet accessible and is the perfect environment to quit—for good. Call us at (951) 526-4582 today to find out more about our residential treatment plan. You do not have to try to quit alone. You can get the support of our entire team to help you.