The insidious cycle of addiction often begins with some life-changing event that causes a person physical pain or emotional pain, an event they cannot face or handle. It may have started as a young child not fitting in with peers, anxiety about work, divorce, or the death of a loved one. It is also not unusual for it to happen due to chronic pain that cannot be adequately treated. Whatever the reason, this is usually the starting point where problems begin.
Often the person does not see any hope of a solution and does not know how to get rid of the pain that he feels. Many people experience problems in their lives that cause them pain, but not everyone will turn to substance abuse as a solution. Some people have stronger coping skills than others and choose a different path to help them cope. Someone who is addicted will choose the easy way out and abuse substances to help them cope.
At first these substances will help them and actually seem to solve their problems. They feel good and believe that they can now cope with the curveballs that life has thrown at them. They then come to believe that this is solving their problems, and that with this crutch they can now deal with life’s problems. At this point, drugs or alcohol become a very valuable tool to help them cope. This now becomes their solution to handle everything that comes their way; seems like the ultimate and easy solution.
During this stage, they feel that their pain can be constantly kept at bay, as long as they have these substances to help them cope. This is the start of a cycle of addiction that you normally won’t recognize. They know one thing. If they feel pain, drugs or alcohol will take it away. The problem with this is that it usually means that they will increase their use of these substances over time, not realizing that they are becoming mentally and physically addicted. Usually they won’t even recognize that they have passed a point of no return and that they have lost their ability to control this destructive habit.
When they try to stop using these substances as crutches, they find that it is no longer possible. Physically their bodies now need the substance. They may realize that they are addicted and now know full well what it will be like to go through withdrawal, and it is not something they want to face. Over time, the addict discovers that he now needs more of the substance he is abusing, as his body is constantly adjusting and the usual amount will no longer be effective. In many cases, they now need the drug or alcohol to function in daily life.
The addict knows they need to stop abusing the drug but feels helpless. This causes more stress and anxiety, as well as feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt. His cure for these feelings is, of course, to go back to what helps ease them, even though what eases the pain causes the feelings. Now they are trapped in an endless cycle of addiction and feel there is no way out.