Misconceptions – STOP

Why can’t you just stop?

That is a wonderful question. When asked I think most people are making a statement: STOP, but to answer the question, “They can’t just stop!”

For one thing, when I truly understand what addiction is, it becomes obvious.

Addiction is a bio-psycho-social disorder that demonstrates itself in any behavior that a person enjoys or finds relief in and therefore craves in the short term. This behavior results in negative consequences in the long term yet the individual doesn’t give up the behavior despite those negative consequences.”

Second, addiction – consistent use of powerful drugs over time – literally rewires the brain of the individual. A past post called “Inside the Brain of Your Addicted Loved One” explains this further. How long does it take? That’s the thing, every person is different. For some people it is quick, for others, it takes a little longer, and still others never actually get addicted. Lots of people do not realize there is a difference between abusing drugs and alcohol, being dependent on them, and being addicted. Someone who is abusing or dependent on drugs or alcohol CAN STOP!

The “Cage” questions created by  John A. Ewing, MD, (d. 2006) for the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, are a good tool to see if you or your loved one should consider the next step of at least talking to someone to see where they are or discover options:

1) Have you ever felt you needed to Cut down on your drinking/drug use?

2) Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking/drug use?

3) Have you ever felt Guilty about drinking/drug use?

4) Have you ever felt you needed a drink or use drugs first thing in the morning (Eye-opener) to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

The more of these you answer yes to the more you should consider talking to a professional.

Third, the reality is that with drug and alcohol addiction there is more times than not more to the story. Those challenges and concerns need to be addressed over time to maintain recovery. It’s a process to be taken a day at a time.

A better question to ask is “How can I help my loved one stop?”

First, I can be a part of helping my friend develop behaviors and actions that meet the underlying need or pain that their substance use or behavior is relieving.

Second, a wonderful characteristic designed into our brain is called “Neuroplasticity”.  Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt to changes in an individual’s environment by forming new neural connections over time. … it is what enables the brain to adapt, master new skills, store memories and information and even recover after a traumatic brain injury. In reality, it is what has caused the brain to “rewire” in a negative way as a response to extended drug use, and just as it was used against our loved one, we and they can repurpose it to reach the outcome we desire, freedom from addiction. This happens quicker for people that begin drug use in their early teens.

Third, we must be a part of developing a new environment for them where they are building affect life coping skills. This TED talk called “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Lisa Penney shows us one of the ways that can happen.

Todays featured image is by Brooke Shaden, one of the worlds most innovative photographers. The title is “Hang It Out to Dry”. I love that, it is exactly what we need to do with the misconceptions we carry if addiction and how people respond to and recover from it.