Philosophers, cognitive and social psychologists, and laypeople often share the view that willpower is critical to recovery from addiction. But there is reason to suspect that willpower is much less important in explaining the recovery than this point of view suggests. However, willpower does play a role. You need a little willpower to use your cognitive therapy skills, go to meetings when you don't really feel like it, and do the other things in your recovery plan.
While treatment and a recovery plan are what really helps you recover, willpower can help you stay engaged. Here are some tips to give yourself a little extra willpower when you need it. One of the persistent myths about addiction and recovery is that it all revolves around willpower. People think that recovery is based on determination.
However, if you only rely on willpower, you probably won't stay sober for long. Many factors contribute to addiction, including genes, childhood environment, trauma, and mental health problems. A strong recovery generally requires therapy, social support, and healthy lifestyle changes. That said, willpower plays a role.
Willpower is what helps you go to a 12-step meeting when you'd rather stay home or avoid going to a party where you know everyone will drink or use drugs. Willpower can keep you sober when faced with unexpected temptations. Although you shouldn't rely on willpower to stay sober, it can certainly be useful. Here are some suggestions for getting more willpower.
Secularists, cognitive and social psychologists, and philosophers all too often invoke the capacity for self-control to explain both addiction and recovery from addiction. No one recovering from addiction should rely entirely on willpower, but it can certainly help you stick to your recovery plan. Since the difficulties faced by addicted people in controlling drug use seem difficult to explain with reference to compulsion or the pain of withdrawal (Carter, %26, Hall, 201), and in light of the fact that many addicted people manage to achieve abstinence or controlled use (Heyman, 200, the (invocation) of executive function or willpower seems to be well motivated.