Seven Steps of The Addiction Cycle Agape Treatment Center

Over time, their mind and body have learned that using drugs or alcohol is the best way to turn off an unpleasant thought or feeling. Based on that learned behavior, emotional triggers can quickly morph into an overwhelming craving to use drugs or alcohol. Ritual behaviors can be described as activities, thoughts or ideas that addicts engage in as part of their addiction. Once ritual behavior has started it is hard for most addicts to turn away. In a sense, ritual behavior can be seen as preparation leading to using or acting out.

However, relapse happens most often when either withdrawal symptoms become too severe to overcome, or a triggering event occurs. Individually, someone not abusing drugs or alcohol could present one of these symptoms. After all, each of us can have a “bad day.” However, the presence of an addiction is clearer when one or more of these traits present themselves consistently over time. It is possible to become addicted to drugs such as heroin, methamphetamines, and other opiates after first-time use. However, substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and prescription medications often require repeated exposure and a tolerance build-up before an individual becomes heavily reliant and dependent on the substance.

How To Stop the Cycle of Addiction

However, once you notice some of the warning signs in your life, it becomes much easier. It’s never too late to recognize the cycle of addiction for what it is. If you’re struggling, you need to know that there’s something you can do about it. Whether you struggle with alcohol or you’re addicted to sex, the problem is still the same.

If not treated, the cycle of addiction is often passed down from one generation to the next. Chances are after that initial use, you will continue to use the substance again more regularly. In some cases, you might even continue use on doctors’ orders if it’s a prescribed medication. As long as you enjoyed the way the substance made you feel, your brain will want you to continue to use that substance. It’s the reason that we might have a drink after a long day at work, or take Aspirin if we have a headache.

Stages of the Addiction Cycle

Regardless, there is still debate as to these symptoms on the basis of the condition of the person who suffers from a chronic illness that requires frequent medication use. After the initial use phase and the various experimentations that come in its wake, the next stage is the actual substance abuse stage. This frequency could be based more on a pattern rather than the urge to do it. The urge will definitely build to a point where patterns don’t exist anymore, but not at this stage. In the case of trying out substances for the first time, there are people who try them out and find they don’t like them, and it stops there.

This is a recurring cycle that involves complex changes in neuroplasticity, reward, motivation, desire, stress, memory, cognitive control, and other related brain regions and brain circuits. Individuals go through these stages at a different pace but every addicted person is bound to feel the pain of the cycle of addiction because of their substance abuse. Although young people are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of substance use, not all adolescents who experiment with alcohol or drugs go on to develop a substance use disorder. Studies that follow groups of adolescents over time to learn about the developing human brain should be conducted. These studies should investigate how pre-existing neurobiological factors contribute to substance use, misuse, and addiction, and how adolescent substance use affects brain function and behavior. This chapter describes the neurobiological framework underlying substance use and why some people transition from using or misusing alcohol or drugs to a substance use disorder—including its most severe form, addiction.

It’s Time for Us to Break the Addiction Cycle

Medical staff can prescribe medications that help lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms. A growing body of substance use research conducted with humans is complementing the work in animals. For example, human studies have benefited greatly from the use of brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. These https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/the-cycle-of-addiction-and-how-to-break-it/ technologies allow researchers to “see” inside the living human brain so that they can investigate and characterize the biochemical, functional, and structural changes in the brain that result from alcohol and drug use. The technologies also allow them to understand how differences in brain structure and function may contribute to substance use, misuse, and addiction.

For treatment to be successful, it must address the complex issues the addicted person faces. For example, an addicted individual may also have a mental health disorder or chronic conditions that contribute to poor physical health. An assessment helps medical and professional staff weigh all treatment options and develop an individualized plan, which may involve dual diagnosis treatment. When it comes to heavy substance abuse, the length of time it takes to become addicted depends on the drug.

Addiction Defined

This stage heavily involves the basal ganglia (Figure 2.4) and its two key brain sub-regions, the nucleus accumbens and the dorsal striatum. For many people, initial substance use involves an element of impulsivity, or acting without foresight or regard for the consequences. For example, an adolescent may impulsively take a first drink, smoke a cigarette, begin experimenting with marijuana, or succumb to peer pressure to try a party drug.

This system also contributes to reward by affecting the function of dopamine neurons and the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Neurons are organized in clusters that perform specific functions (described as networks or circuits). For example, some networks are involved with thinking, learning, emotions, and memory. Still others receive and interpret stimuli from the sensory organs, such as the eyes and ears, or the skin. The addiction cycle disrupts the normal functions of some of these neuronal networks.

Our team of experts strives to provide creative and innovative approaches to addiction treatment. We understand that each person and their addiction are different, which is why we tailor our services specifically for each individual. It’s definitely not always easy to recognize when you’re battling addiction.

Relapse is when an addict returns to using after being sober for a while. While some addicts do get clean after several relapses, most of them get caught back up in the addiction cycle. They start with the sober person using a small amount of their drug of choice.