How to stop addiction dependence

If you\’ve ever wondered whether you or your loved one are dependent on some substance because of problems that seem to be linked to the using of substances, and are considering a rehab in Pune, then here\’s how to break the behavior cycles you or your loved one might be stuck in.

Basically it all starts as a little bit of fun, to enhance the experience of whatever we\’re doing. We didn\’t start out saying we were going to become addicts/alcoholics. Quite the opposite in fact. We worried about what would happen if we smoked that first joint, or had that first beer or whatever. The experience that first time might be enjoyable and we try it again and again until we find ourselves habituated.

That\’s when we first try to quit. And that\’s the first time we find that it\’s become difficult to do so. We may be able to stop for some time but we end up restarting and realise it\’s more than we bargained for. What started out as fun and passtime, has become a habit hard to break, possibly an addiction. Time to ask the question: Why can\’t I quit? And whether to seek help from a rehab in India.

Some people can quit by themselves and some need to be in treatment to support their goal. Good news is though it\’s difficult, it can be done. Whatever your behavior patterns, they can be changed.

It\’s a process that\’s difficult because of the multiple facets of addiction and addictive personalities. Factors that matter are compulsive physical cravings, mental obsession with emotional swings and a seeming lack of will to recognise and fight these. 

We get addicted because we like the effect that the activity provides. All addictions are either to process, or emotion or to some substance. Sex, gambling, eating are process addictions;  anger, shame, people pleasing, egotism are Emotion addictions, popping pills, coke, heroin, meth, ecstasy, xanax etc are substance addictions.

As we associate our behavior with the effect it produces in our minds, our minds develop Euphoric Recall. This is what leads most people back to indulging in their addiction. At some point we associated the behavior with euphoric effects in our brains. As we repeatedly indulged, the connections hardened and now it\’s become a trigger when anything we consider negative happens in our life. We just cope with that negativity by indulging in our addiction because our brain has become hardwired to trigger that euphoric recall. This is why it\’s so hard to quit by oneself without the support of therapy in a rehabilitation center in India

Blocks to quitting

Tolerance: this is a physical and psychological effect of the substance or behavior. Initially the activity or drug gives us the pleasant feelings about which we psychologically got attracted to. We indulged again and again. As we created the behavioral habit pattern, it became automatic in our system. Substances/activities stopped giving as much unless we indulged more. A tolerance of the high gets built up and we need to indulge more in higher amounts to feel the high. Withdrawal

As our tolerance of the drug and indulgence in the high giving activity increases so the desire to quit decreases. Our system starts demanding more and if it is not provided goes into a psycho-physical withdrawals. There are physical withdrawals and psychological too. Not only the body but the mind also is craving. withdrawal symptoms may occur, such as shaking, feeling unwell, stomach upsets, and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling anxious and depressed. These are easily fixed by more of the addictive substance or behavior. Which of course is why we want to stop.

Society

In the beginning we start our addiction with friends and it becomes very easy to keep intak8ng the high in that circle. Slowly our circle becomes only those people who are using. If we try to stop the emotional void is such that we are driven into the company of those friends in whose company it is so easy to say just this once then never again.

Emotional Void

The high slowly takes over our seemingly well managed lives. It is an undercurrent and our escapé from the regular life. It\’s the something different that makes us feel good. Without realising it we have given ourselves an identity of someone different. When trying to quit this support is not there and the void both physical and emotional is created.

Ambivalence

The mixed feelings of both wanting to continue with the addictive behavior and wanting to quit, is part of the addictive process even in the early stages of experimentation.

Conflict

When your addictive behavior becomes excessive to the point of creating conflict, it is out of balance with other parts of your life. Conflict may occur within yourself—you want to rein in your behavior while, at the same time, have greater urges to do it. Conflicts also occur with other people—whether they want you to quit or want you to join them in the addictive behavior.

With these major blocks how to quit ?

Despite making a commitment to quit, and going through the withdrawal phase, conflicts do not simply go away. Expectations are higher than ever before. The one thing you depended on to cope with stress—the addictive behavior—is now off-limits. Often, this is felt in terms of \”right\” and \”wrong,\” a moral dilemma, especially in relation to sexual and illegal behaviors. In some cases, guilt feelings are appropriate; in others, they are not.

The physical part in rehab in Pune is handled by doctors who prescribe medicines that prevent or reduce  the withdrawals.

The emotional blocks we need to identify with the help of our counsellor, through reflecting on and identifying the triggers that create the want for the drug/high.

The emotional void can be dealt with by finding activities we liked or developing new areas of interest where the old associations with the high don\’t exist. We have to build up our inner coping skills to deal with life head-on without seeking the escape we got in the high. Getting involved in activities that are more than us gives us our self-worth and identity back.