The barriers to avoiding drugs when seeking addiction recovery can be detrimental. Learning how to overcome these barriers can help someone to maintain their recovery long-term, and build a happy, healthy lifestyle free from addiction. Individuals who overcome these challenges can build self-confidence and resilience, providing the strength that is needed to maintain a lifestyle of recovery long-term.
Understanding the Cycle of Addiction
The cycle of addiction generally begins with initial use and progresses into an escalated state of compulsion to use drugs. Often, individuals begin using drugs recreationally, experimenting. However, it is common for drugs like cocaine and opioids to act on the reward system within the brain, resulting in euphoric effects. These effects contribute to continued use and inevitable addiction. Prolonged substance use can build tolerance, making it so the individual would need a higher dose to experience the effects. This tolerance contributes to continued misuse, leading to addiction.
What Barriers to Avoiding Drugs Do People Face?
For those seeking recovery, what are some barriers to avoiding drugs is a crucial question, as these obstacles can lead to relapse and continue the cycle of addiction. Facing and overcoming these barriers is essential to maintaining long-term recovery and preventing relapse. As an individual embarks on a recovery journey, relapse can be deadly. This is often due to the body removing the substances, and when the person reintroduces the same level of substance they used before, the body is unable to process that amount, resulting in overdose. The challenges that arise can help build resilience, and having proper support is critical for success.
Peer Pressure: The Influence of Social Circles
In recovery, a popular slogan is that one must change people, places, and things. This is due to the peer pressures that occur when someone seeking recovery returns to the same environment with the same people who are on a different path. Someone who stops using drugs and alcohol has a goal. However, if the individual goes to a social gathering or bar with their friends, they run a risk of being offered the substances that they are seeking recovery from.
Emotional and Mental Health Struggles
Addiction can alter brain chemistry. The barriers to avoiding drugs include emotional and mental health struggles. It is crucial to seek professional care to help address these struggles to avoid relapse. It is also common practice to use substances to alleviate symptoms of mental health struggles, contributing to addiction. Treating only the addition aspect can be a recipe for relapse. For those who struggle with mental health, this can be dangerous. It is crucial to treat both aspects for a successful journey of recovery.
Lack of Support Systems
A vital part of addiction recovery is support. Both peer and professional support can help to prevent relapse, creating a space for long-term recovery. Through group and individual therapy, individuals seeking recovery can learn healthy coping skills for building lasting and supportive relationships that can help them maintain their recovery.
Accessibility and Availability of Drugs
Another of the barriers to avoiding drugs is the ease of access to drugs. Because these substances are commonly produced and sold illicitly, drugs like heroin and other opioids can be easily accessed. This makes it difficult for those who are seeking recovery to maintain it. Just because someone seeks out professional care does not mean they are immune to relapse, and having support, even after rehab, can help prevent someone’s return to drug use.
Cultural and Societal Influences on Drug Use
Birthday parties, social gatherings, and holidays are hot spots for drug use. It is a common misconception in society that drugs enhance fun. However, this is a false narrative, and introducing drugs to gatherings can have deadly results. Individuals in early recovery who partake in events where drug use is prevalent run the risk of relapse. It is crucial to have the necessary tools and coping skills to deal with these situations.
Coping with Trauma and Past Experiences
Trauma is a leading contributing factor to drug use. Whether in early childhood, teenage years, or adulthood trauma can have a long-lasting impact on someone’s ability to cope with life stressors. Trauma-focused therapy is beneficial for these individuals to aid in avoiding relapse and maintaining long-term recovery.
Misinformation About Drugs
Lack of information on the risks of drug abuse is another of the barriers to avoiding drugs for individuals seeking recovery. The narrative that drug use can be fun is partially to blame and contributes to the experimentation that often occurs and results in addiction. For those trying to maintain long-term recovery, this misinformation could lead to them believing that they can handle their drug use, which often leads to the cycle of drug addiction beginning all over again.
Overcoming Barriers: Steps Toward a Drug-Free Life
Overcoming these barriers and maintaining a lifestyle of recovery is possible. Challenges will arise in daily life, it is crucial to know how to handle them to avoid returning to using substances. Therapies like CBT and DBT can help implement much-needed coping skills for avoiding relapse. Professional care and support can help the individual to identify and work through the root causes of drug use and addiction, allowing them to have the best possible chance for long-term recovery.
Building Resilience and Seeking Help
Support is crucial when it comes to overcoming addiction and maintaining recovery. Often, individuals face several barriers along their path to recovery. Having proper care and support can help make a difference in their recovery journey. If you or a loved one are struggling, we can help. At Extra Mile Recovery we strive to provide a safe, healing, supportive environment for individuals to begin their recovery journey. Call us today and begin your road to recovery.
