If you use drugs or alcohol, chances are you’ve probably thought about taking steps to quit. Substance users are often aware of the negative effects of drugs and alcohol, such as poor health, loss of money and ruined relationships.
Maybe you have finally recognized this in yourself, and perhaps you’ve even tried to stop.
Just because you may want to quit drugs or alcohol doesn’t mean it’s an easy process. There are many reasons why it can be difficult.
Your brain makes it hard to quit drugs or alcohol
There isn’t one single reason why you can’t merely make a choice and quit drugs or alcohol. Addiction is a powerful thing. You don’t decide to flip a switch between using or not using.
There are social, emotional and physical aspects to why you became addicted in the first place. Taking them on and working to get clean can be difficult.
Start with understanding the physical aspects:
Drugs and alcohol are chemicals that affect the body. The brain is wired in such a way that when you introduce these chemicals, they trigger the pleasure center of your brain. When that happens, you want the sensation to continue, so you keep taking these substances. As you do, the brain starts to see this as as normal. You have to increase doses to get beyond the new normal to find that feeling of pleasure again. Before you know it, you’ve gone from using to misusing drugs. Your brain wants more, and suddenly you’ve fallen into addiction.
Substance use alters your brain’s natural chemical makeup, especially the levels of dopamine. Drugs and alcohol release more substantial amounts of dopamine, causing the brain to have difficulty keeping up with the production. Sometimes it even runs out. When this happens, you might actually feel sad or depressed. Moods often regulate when dopamine production is back up. All this up and down damages the brain.
The new “normal” you were able to achieve is actually drug or alcohol tolerance. When you’re tolerant and stop using, you might go into withdrawal. Drugs or alcohol leave your system, and then your body reacts. Because withdrawal is often uncomfortable or even painful, this can become a strong reason to go back to using your substance of choice. You want that bad feeling to stop, regardless of the cost and even if it means using again.
Situations make it hard to quit drugs or alcohol
There was something that led you to use in the first place. Maybe it was boredom, sadness, pain or hopelessness. Perhaps you were in distress or lonely. Perhaps it was where you were living, problems at work or issues with relatives or friends. All these things impact you as you try to quit drugs or alcohol because they act as triggers.
People, places, feelings, smells and memories can make you want to go back to using drugs and alcohol, even when you take steps to stop.
Substance use may let you forget or mask the issues, but you can never break free and get clean unless you deal with the triggers.
Try, try again
Just because it can be difficult to quit drugs or alcohol doesn’t mean it can’t be done and you do not have to do it alone. Several healthcare professionals can assist with the physical effects as well as the mental and emotional effects. Some people can help you face triggers and handle life’s problems without drugs or alcohol.
Recognizing you have a problem is the first step toward recovery. Even if you’ve tried to quit and were unsuccessful, take another attempt and reach out for assistance from professionals.
