Alcohol and Other Drugs
'The Neurons that fire together, wire together'
If we use substances or if we carry out compulsive behaviours on a regular enough basis we can find ourselves stuck in a trap. If these behaviours start to have negative consequences in our lives and we still cant stop and stay stoppped then we have developed dependence or addiction and we need help. This process 'does not discriminate'. It can happen to anyone and it's not something an individual ever chooses. Letting go of judgement of self is a good place to start work.
Whatever way we want to pursue the challenge of overcoming addiction or dependence, it helps to start with understanding it as a disruption to the reward pathway in the brain. We drink or drug or shop or gamble or watch porn or chase sex... whatever it is, it starts as a solution to an internal problem, whether we are consciously aware of that or not. Then when we repeat the behaviour enough, our brain is fooled into thinking we have to repeat that over and over again. Eventually, the substance or behaviour stops becoming the solution and starts creating problems, and we cant stop it. We are often then completely disconnected from our real selves and can be suffering from denial or delusion. At this point we can be really hard to live with, agressive, volatile, or just down. We start to lose things.. licenses, relationships, jobs, but quite often can't imagine being able to live without our particular vice.
Some of us are more susceptible to becoming dependent or addicted through genetic predisposition and/or through early childhood experiences. And we come to treatment at different stages of our trajectory, and need a different plan for each person. But there are many common factors for all of us in recovery: the biggest one is We Cannot Do it Alone.
The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection. – Johann Hari
Along with one-on-one psychotherapy, it is beyond beneficial to join a group of other individuals with the same aim. Group therapy provides the opportunity to be seen and heard and grow inside a group that provides accountability, connection and support. Other groups that can be part of a healthy recovery include Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, (SLAA) a combination of twelve-step work and group therapy.
People in recovery, after five years, have been found to rate their wellbeing way way above the happiest people in the world.
Addiction Reference Books
- Morgan, O. Addiction, Attachment, Trauma and Recovery
- Mate, G. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
- Hari, J. Chasing the Scream
- Berger, A. 12 Smart things to do when the booze and drugs are gone
- Living Sober