You have heard of the cycle of addiction. Even more, you feel caught in this cycle every day when you suffer a substance use disorder. Physical, mental and emotional dependency on drugs or alcohol fuel your life and keep you stuck in one place. The only way out of your exhausting cycle is through quality rehab treatment and dedication to your recovery.
How Does the Cycle of Addiction Begin?
The cycle of addiction is the same whether you abuse drugs or alcohol. With ongoing use of these substances, your brain chemically and structurally changes. These changes form the foundation for addiction, your disease.
The changes in your brain start the cycle you find yourself stuck in now. Even after getting the treatment you need, you risk restarting the cycle if you use drugs or alcohol again. That is why you need quality addiction treatment that includes addiction counseling, support, education and a mix of therapies designed for addiction recovery.
Your recovery requires personal investment in having a better future. You need to want your own wellness, for the cycle to end. Sometimes recovery happens in only a few months of treatment. For others, recovery requires months or even years of rehab and support.
How long your recovery takes to end the cycle of addiction in your life depends on how hard you work in rehab. It also depends on your focus on sticking to what you learn about recovery. One slip takes you back into the chaos of the cycle, so you cannot expect to use your substances in the future. Relapse is the trap of addiction.
How the Cycle Relates to Addiction
Addiction includes obsessive thoughts and compulsive need for your substances. These substances include drugs, alcohol, behaviors or food. You develop tolerance when your body needs more of the substance to feel its effects. Withdrawal symptoms make it clear your cycle has begun, that of dependence on your drugs or alcohol for daily normalcy.
Early in your addiction, you start experiencing intense cravings for your substances. You also become obsessed with getting more of your drugs or alcohol and using them. This cycle of addiction includes:
- Feeling frustrated and anxious in your need to use your substances
- Thinking about using alcohol or drugs to feel better
- Obsessing over finding more of your drugs or alcohol
- Using your substances
- Losing control over your addiction
- Feelings of remorse, shame, and guilt of your dissatisfaction with your life because of your substance abuse
- Promising yourself or others you will change, only to fall back into the cycle again
Some people run through the whole cycle in one day or a few times per day. Others experience the cycle weekly or with more space between episodes of use. How long your cycle takes to come “full circle” depends on the substances you use and whether you use daily or in binges spread out over time.
Ending the Cycle of Addiction with Steps to Recovery
Addiction treatment provides the only valid means to end your cycle of addiction toward the hope of avoiding relapse. But you need quality addiction recovery services designed for your specific needs. This individualized treatment comes from an accredited drug or alcohol rehab program.
Steps to Recovery in Levittown, PA provides accredited addiction treatment to help you break the cycle. Programs of Steps to Recovery include:
- Intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization and outpatient programs
- Individual counseling and psychotherapy
- Family therapy and family programs
- Group therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Aftercare
You have the power to break your cycle of addiction. You only need to make one call to start ending it right now. Call Steps to Recovery at 267.719.8528 to learn about available programs and treatment methods.