One popular belief about addiction is that once someone develops a substance use disorder, she will always have it, even though she might learn to control it. This idea, like many beliefs about addiction, owes much of its popularity to AA. In AA, members introduce themselves as alcoholics–never “former alcoholics,” even if they’ve not had a drink in 20 years. A central belief of AA and other 12-step programs is that if you have the disease of addiction, you have it for life. You can never touch a drink or use a drug and expect to be able to function normally. This belief is reflected in pop culture too, with addictive behavior always threatening to return. Is it true that you never really recover from addiction? The disappointing answer is that it depends. There are a lot of factors that contribute to developing an addiction in the first place. Genes are a major factor, as is stress, trauma, and mental illness. What drugs you are addicted to, for how long, and what age you started drinking or using drugs are all significant factors too. On top of that, life is messy. We’re used to the idea that if you get a certain score on a blood test, for example, you have diabetes. Substance use disorders are not so neat. Two people can use drugs and alcohol in similarly unhealthy ways but one person might identify as an addict and seek help while the other person decides to moderate her drinking and succeed. It’s impossible to know whether the person who sought help might have succeeded with moderation. Addiction is essentially a behavior, or a sort of learning disorder. You can stop a behavior and you can begin it again. Also, much of what we attribute to some inherent quality in a person is really a matter of circumstance. Someone who is in an abusive relationship or a stressful job might struggle constantly with substance use, repeatedly failing to stay sober. However, she might find that once she leaves that job or relationship, she has very little desire to drink or use drugs. There are so many moving parts in every human life that it’s impossible to tell who will move past addiction and who will struggle with it for life. Genes are perhaps the best indicator of whether an addiction will persist because they change the least over a person’s lifetime. There are genes that make you more prone to depression or anxiety and there are genes that make using certain substances feel extra rewarding. If you are hardwired to have these kinds of risk factors for addiction, you may be in for a long-term struggle. The easiest way to tell is to see whether either of your parents has continually struggled with substance use. As with anything that matters, the best approach to substance use disorders is to hope for the best and plan for the worst. If you struggle with addiction, don’t assume it will just pass on its own. Actively seek help to get it under control. You may get lucky and discover five years down the road that you don’t miss it at all. However, the longer your substance use continues, the harder it will be to quit. Addiction physically changes your brain, and once those changes occur, it’s unclear whether they can ever be completely reversed.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental illness, we can help. Recovery Ways is a premier drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have the resources to effectively treat a dual diagnosis. Our mission is to provide the most cost-effective, accessible substance abuse treatment to as many people as possible. Request information online or call us today at 1-888-986-7848.
