Navigating the Stages of Addiction: Causes and Recovery Strategies

Abstract

Institutional Affiliation 26th March 2021 Causes of Addiction Drug addiction is a serious illness in the contemporary society. It has specific process that leads to an individual becoming an addict. There are specific stages that describe the process of addiction and factors that explain the causes of addiction. In order to heal from drug addiction, the patient can recover through certain therapy. Motivational Interviewing is one of the therapies that can help addicts recover and build their lives. STAGE 1: Experimentation with causal use This stage is the experimentation process that leads to the use of substance abuse. It happens mostly to the people of 12-13 years who are feeling bored, those influenced by peer pressure, and others out of mere curiosity. The reason a person moves on from the casual use stage to the abuse stage depends on certain factors. First, the genetic predisposition which is a genetic feature that causes the possibility of phenotype growth of a person from a species within a given environmental condition (Patterson, 2020). For instance, it is a member of a family that can be born with the genetic condition. In order to progress to the abuse stage, the individual has to use or drink for the gene to be activated. Second, whether the use produces the desire effects. For instance attending a party with the intention of getting high but it backfires and makes you crazy or you begin to drink and it makes you feel good for a while. Third, if the drugs are highly available and acceptable by peers or family. When friends and family members tend to drink a lot, it sets example for the children that it is okay to use drugs. Fourth, when one is experiencing psychological or emotional issues of which the substance temporary extinguishes. For instance those going through Post-traumatic disorder or depression can decide to take a drink and it eases their pain or helps them to forget for the moment. These factors are the reasons for a person to move from the causal use stage to the abuse phase. STAGE 2: Abuse In this stage, the main cause of abuse is coping. This stage is attributed with daily or a predictable pattern of drinking as a way of coping. The people can abuse the drug in seclusion or in the company of friends. Many people continue to drink with to with negative feelings such as untreated mental illness and insecurities. The person might have experienced a traumatising incident such as rape or domestic violence while growing up but they never got the chance to go for counselling (Patterson, 2020). Now these experiences have turned into insecurities that can only be eased by using drugs. The abuse can also progress to the risky use especially with the drinking patterns of daily or every weekend. Risky use makes the person to start displaying unsafe characteristics for instance going to work after drinking (Patterson, 2020). These dangerous behaviours can also affect the relationship between the user and his family or friends. In order to cope with this certain change in their lives or the already existing traumas, the abuse will continue (Patterson, 2020). At this point, the person might start showing signs of addiction since the substance has started to become a central point in their system. STAGE 3: Dependency Causes In this stage, the dependency is caused by two concepts. First, the person start depending on drugs since their lives has negatively changed due to addiction. The dependency will make an individual unable to fulfil their responsibilities leading to negative effects of addiction such as dropping out of school, being fired from your job and even facing the risk of being homeless (Patterson, 2020). Regardless of all these, the person will continue to abuse drugs even more as the only alternative. Depending on the drug means the user has developed restraint and now the body needs unsafe amount to feel good once more. Intense cravings for the substance either physical or psychological are also hyped at this stage to the extent of driving while high (Patterson, 2020). Hence the user cannot stop using the substance because this can cause withdrawal symptoms such as fever or intense vomiting (Patterson, 2020). The problems will continue to overwhelm the user which means the intakes of drugs will also increase leading to the high dependency. Second, the science behind the addiction that causes dependency. When the drug is introduced to the body, the reason one feel euphoria is because the body releases a lot more chemicals. However after a lot of uses, the body cannot produce these natural feelings because it ran out. So, the only way of not feeling ill is to continue the use of the drug. THERAPY: Motivational Interviewing (MI) Motivational interviewing is a therapy used for encouraging people to transform their dangerous behaviour. It is very applicable for people with addiction since lack of motivation is a huge obstacle for a person trying to fight addiction (AAC, 2019). The idea behind Motivational Interviewing is that every person struggling with addiction somehow has the information about the destructive results of using drugs and addiction (AAC, 2019). Every person also must be in a position of willingness to transform their way of life. The role of MI therapist is to prepare a client to reach the stage of readiness through conquering panic of change and elevating their motivation spirit (AAC, 2019). This therapy has been proven to be successful to both the voluntarily clients and the ones who have been forced by their loved ones to undertake the treatment. Steps of Motivational Interviewing Motivational Interviewing operates in a very straightforward process that can be achieved within small sessions. The distinctive steps include: First step is engaging; the therapist has to communicate to the person concerning the problems, and expectations for the purpose of developing a trusting connection (AAC, 2019). Second step is focusing; the therapist now has to narrow down the session to the subject matter and patterns that the person is comfortable with (AAC, 2019). Third step is evoking; the therapist has to bring out the individual’s motivation for transformation by stressing on the significance, confidence and willingness for change. Fourth step is planning; the therapist now has to create realistic procedures for the person to utilize in implementing the needed transformation. Who Benefits from Motivational Interviewing? Motivational Interviewing is constructed in a way that it strictly benefits the client. The counselling is on determining what the clients really need but not what the therapist assumes is good for them (AAC, 2019). To achieve this, the session must consist of serious empathy, meditative listening and the capacity to develop a strong relationship with the client within a short duration. The main objective of the MI is to conquer the internal struggles for the willingness of the clients to stop abusing drugs (AAC, 2019). There are many reasons to quit abusing drugs and receive treatment for addiction, however for an addict; they see many reasons of not quitting. Many clients tend to go back and forth after experiencing motivation to stop abusing drugs. They feel the need to stop after talking to a loved one or after experiencing health effects of drug abuse but suddenly lose the sense of motivation after one day. MI is also helpful to those who have negative outcome from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Clients who lack motivation can find it very complicated to make alterations to their behavioural patterns and this is why before undertaking CBT, they should first seek necessary motivation from MI (AAC, 2019). MI is more experienced than CBT in handling people who seek a lot of attention, support of their feelings and strong bond with their therapist. In addition, MI is also advantageous for those individuals who have relapsed prior to struggling from addiction. The main cause relapse is the contradictory feeling about the impacts of using drugs. Assisting such individual to survive by the presence of motivation and realise their personal inspiration without remorse or stress from family can essentially transform their relapse issues (AAC, 2019) Furthermore, alcohol addiction can also benefit from Motivational Interviewing. The reason being that it is simpler to have contradictory feeling about the utilization of authorized substances because of the wide social approval as opposed to the abuse of illegal drugs. Limitations of Motivational Interviewing Despite the efforts of providing adequate motivation to many addicts, Motivational Interviewing is not a suitable therapy for everyone. For instance, the individuals who have serious mental illnesses or addictions with many complications cannot survive with plain motivation (AAC, 2019). These individuals will require a complex method of counselling plus a series of medication for them to reach a point where motivation is necessary. The effectiveness of MI is determined by specific counsellor. MI is not an easy method to be mastered effortlessly as the therapist is required to develop a strong connection with their clients suffering from different addictions. Also, considerable tolerance and high level of understanding is required however the therapy is constructed to operate fast since the sessions are not affordable and sometimes the clients are always on a legal struggle for abusing drugs (AAC, 2019). Regardless, the therapist capable of conquering these limitations can be in a position to help those clients who has had negative outcomes from other therapy methods. Reference American Addiction Centers. (2019). Therapy Treatment: Motivational Interviewing in Addition Treatment. American Addiction Centers. Retrieved from: https://www.americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment/motivational-interviewing Patterson, E. (2020). Drug addiction: The Stages of Addiction. The Recovery village. Retrieved from: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/drug-addiction/stages-of-addiction/