Someone who binges occasionally but experiences intense cravings, loss of control, or serious consequences can still be struggling with addiction. With the right treatment, support, and lifestyle changes, a person can move from addiction toward recovery. Early intervention makes it more likely to reverse the progression before lasting damage occurs. This could involve researching treatment options, talking to a counselor, or setting up a support system. It’s a time for getting mentally prepared for what quitting will require. This stage choose the correct cycle of addiction is all about laying the groundwork for the action that follows.
Addiction Stage 5: Relapse
The addictive potential of some substances may be so strong that what seems to be an Alcohol Use Disorder instant addiction may develop. People can also be addicted to gambling, food, shopping, exercise, or technology. Addiction often begins with stress, trauma, or emotional discomfort. A trigger can be anything that sparks the urge to use a substance or engage in a behavior.
What Are the Phases of Addiction?
In the final stage, addiction becomes deeply entrenched, impacting every facet of the individual’s life. Experiencing 2-3 specific symptoms is classified as a mild substance use disorder, establishing a framework for understanding varying degrees of this mental health condition. Severe substance use disorder often manifests as a chronic mental health disorder, requiring intensive professional treatment. The individual may face severe withdrawal symptoms, health complications, and significant disruptions to their daily life.
Converting Power of Peers
Every addiction starts the same way, with the person trying the substance or the addictive activity for the first time. As previously mentioned, the phases that make up the cycle of addiction represent the usual process when a person succumbs to addiction. The vast majority of addicted people go through a set of stages that are quite similar, and thus the term addiction cycle is used to describe the process.
Denying Our Mental Health: Why We Do It and How To Move Past It
Risks vary from person to person and determine how likely a person is to form a substance use disorder or behavioral addiction. Such factors can include family problems, career difficulties, abuse, social problems, and others. The addiction cycle is used to help illustrate how quickly drug use can develop into addiction. It explains why it’s so difficult to simply quit using once a person is addicted to a drug. It is a complex process marked by a series of stages and behaviors that can have profound negative consequences on an individual’s life.
- As an individual continues their use, the body develops a tolerance and demands larger amounts of the substance more frequently to obtain the same effects.
- It’s important to get addiction treatment in a luxury rehab program in Los Angeles, such as ours at Westwind Recovery® if you struggle with substance use.
- You gain the same learning opportunity from any relapse, regardless of its cause or trigger.
- No matter your stage, it’s never too late or too early to enter treatment.
Similar to other chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, addiction usually involves relapse and remission cycles. It’s important to get addiction treatment in a luxury rehab program in Los Angeles, such as ours at Westwind Recovery® if you struggle with substance use. The best way to break the cycle and get help is by pursuing a qualified addiction treatment specialist. https://baycalasphalt.com/2024/08/sober-living-vs-halfway-house/ They can help you understand your behavior and what originally led to that initial use.
Stage 6: Relapse – Understanding and Prevention
Providers have long recognized that relapse is a process rather than an event. The reasons to experiment with drugs can vary widely, but two common reasons are because of either curiosity or peer pressure. People may also be prescribed medication, such as opioids, by their doctor. In this first stage, people often tell themselves that they’re just going to try it once to see what it feels like, especially if it’s a widely used drug like marijuana. The addiction cycle begins from the very first time a person uses a drug. Relapse can be a return to earlier stages of recovery, but it doesn’t mean recovery has failed.