When you begin addiction treatment, your main focus is to achieve recovery. Through therapies, services, and programs, you work towards ending your substance abuse and living a life in recovery. However, that’s not the only focus of your treatment. One of the main focal points of addiction treatment programs is to help you begin with understanding your addiction.
By understanding your addiction, you’re able to identify triggers, minimize cravings, and reduce your chance of relapse once you complete treatment.
What Is Addiction?
As you begin understanding your addiction, it’s essential to have an understanding of what addiction is in general. Addiction is a disease within the brain that causes compulsive behavior regardless of negative consequences. Understanding that addiction is a disease can help the individual in need, as well as their loved ones, become more understanding and compassionate. This effect on the brain means ending addiction on your own is almost impossible. Addiction treatment is a must for those looking to break the cycle of addiction and achieve their goals of long-lasting recovery.
Different Reasons Behind Addiction
A common misconception is that those struggling with addiction simply made a poor life choice to use a harmful substance. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are multiple reasons behind why individuals have an addiction. These can include:
- Genetics- In some cases, individuals have genetic markers that increase their risk of addiction. These genetics can influence how an individual acts compulsively, to how their body will react to certain substances.
- Environment- The environment in which an individual grew up or currently lives can also lead to their addiction. If drug or alcohol abuse was prevalent in the home growing up, it could place children at a higher risk for addiction once they get older. Living in a neighborhood where drugs are easily accessible can also increase risk.
- Trauma- Experiencing a traumatic event of any kind can increase someone’s chances of struggling with addiction. If they don’t receive the help they need to work past their trauma, they could turn to alcohol or drugs to deal with their emotions. Traumatic events can include anything from violence to a natural disaster.
- Mental health– Mental health can also play a critical role in addiction. In many cases, a person is using substances to manage the symptoms of their unknown mental health disorder. We provide a holistic treatment program that addresses all of the addiction’s physical and psychological impacts.
Understanding your addiction comes with understanding the reasons behind your substance abuse. Realizing you’re not a bad person for having an addiction is one of the first steps towards forgiveness, acceptance, and lasting recovery.
Types of Addiction
Another way of understanding your addiction is to know how different substances affect the brain. While it’s true that most substances require a professional treatment program to help with recovery, some require more help than others. That’s because due to potency and chemical composition, some substances affect the brain and body more intensely and more quickly than others.
Spokane Falls Recovery Center provides the following substance abuse treatment programs: