Does addiction last a lifetime? - Granite Grok

Does addiction last a lifetime?

Resilience

Mark Smith celebrates 10 years in recovery from his opiate addiction. “It’s been a whole decade since I entered a rehab center,” he says. “Though I decided to get treatment, I still had doubts. You know, they say “Once an addict, always an addict.” The stigma is strong.”

Indeed, society has a lot of misconceptions about addiction and treats addicts as people with moral flaws. The stereotypical image of drug users portrayed in media often forms a false idea of what they look like and how they act. The truth is that many people suffering from drug abuse don’t fit this image. Stigma and stereotypes complicate the process of seeking and getting help.

“Unfortunately, my deadly habit was ruining not only my life.” – Mark shares his memories. “My relationships with parents were damaged. They asked me to stop and go to rehab, but I refused and made scandals. One night, they didn’t let me into the house. I didn’t know where to go. I had strong feelings of shame and guilt.”

Fortunately, Mark happened to find a drug help hotline in New Hampshire. “I hesitated to call”, he admits. “But then I thought that I have nothing to lose. And the call was free and anonymous.”

People who seek help for addiction are afraid to hear judgmental comments. Even an indifferent tone may be discouraging. But this is not the case if you decide to use New Hampshire addiction hotline, as well as in any other state. Operators are polite and sympathetic. They give contacts of medical professionals and rehabilitation facilities that may provide treatment.

The Myth of the Addictive Personality

There’s such a term “addictive personality”. It means that a person cannot eliminate addiction completely, but only to substitute with another one. Also, a person who had a long-term addiction to alcohol or drugs can never have a drink safely. But how true is it?

For an adherent of the traditional model of recovery (it supports the theory of “addictive personalities”) having a drink would be skating on thin ice. And if this person constantly feels the temptation to drink or take some drug, it’s best to reboot their motivation by calling an addiction helpline in New Hampshire or visiting AA/NA meetings.

Mark said that even if some theory sounds quite logical and evident, that doesn’t necessarily means to him that it is true. In rehab, he heard many things that had no scientific evidence, for example, the phrase “a drug is a drug is a drug.” But drugs do differ. If fentanyl, a powerful opioid, kills thousands of users every year, buprenorphine (Suboxone) is a medicine used to treat people dependent on opioid drugs.

The opinion on “addictive personality” also depends on how addiction is defined. Some associate cross-addiction not only with alcohol and substances like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, but also gambling, video gaming, eating, Internet use, compulsive spending, and other behaviors. But even in this regard, they don’t have the evidence to prove it.

Mark jokes that the popular type of substation he saw in rehab was picking up smoking because of the homesickness people experienced while living in the facilities.

Can Recovery Increase Resiliency to New Addictions?

Perhaps, there’s no one clear answer on whether people substitute their addictions. The National Institute on Drug Abuse claims that a previous substance use disorder (SUD) is a risk factor for the future development of SUD. But though NIDA recognizes so-called “cross-addiction”, they don’t insist that a former alcoholic can’t safely consume alcohol again. Protective genes and environmental factors make it possible to drink moderately without the transition to an alcohol use disorder.

One study tested the switching-addictions hypothesis in 2014. The researchers found that individuals who remitted from SUD were significantly less likely to develop a new one in comparison with those who didn’t remit.

During recovery, a person acquires essential life skills. They learn to interact with people, push the ego aside, and ask for professional help if necessary. This allows dealing with hardships and stresses more effectively, without alcohol and drugs. Thus, they face fewer triggers, and the risk of relapse or a new addiction is low. So, it’s best to substitute SUDs with healthy activities and coping mechanisms.

People Change and Mature

Mark believes that far not all ex-addicts substitute their addictions. Dependent people have an attraction to the drug of choice, and other types of drugs are not so tempting for them. Mark used opiates, but he didn’t have any problems with other addictive substances. He witnessed the same among many former users. Experts explain this by the combination of neurochemistry and individual psychological makeup.

Mark added that adding new coping skills to his “toolbox is a life-long task. And the bigger this toolbox is, the stronger you are.” Of course, there are times in our lives when we are vulnerable and become prone to risky behaviors. But problems are solved, and we feel good again.

Human beings are dynamic creatures. There’s evidence that they can transform and mature out of their past addictions. According to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, 75 percent of people recover from alcohol dependence without any formal or informal (AA groups) assistance. But what is more important, about half of people with alcohol use disorder actually return to responsible drinking. Still, getting help, for example, from an addiction hotline free in New Hampshire, can increase the chances to succeed in recovery.

If you are having difficult life circumstances now and notice that triggers and thoughts about the drug start to return, it’s time to seek for a dosage of motivation and support. Call an addiction hotline anonymous in New Hampshire. Do something relaxing, like having a massage or practicing yoga. Do something that brings you joy. Life isn’t static. The situation will improve over time.

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