Once addicted, always addicted. I asked two of my friends who are in recovery if they agreed or disagreed with this statement. Many people recognize the common saying of “once addicted, always addicted. But what does this saying actually mean? Are people addicted for life? If you become addicted to a particular substance, should you avoid all addictive substances after starting your path to recovery? Is there an addictive personality? Can you recover from addiction or does it last a lifetime? Yes, addiction is a treatable disorder.
Research on the science of addiction and the treatment of substance use disorders has led to the development of research-based methods that help people stop using drugs and resume a productive life, also known as recovery. There are actually two different types of addicts. There are recovering or recovering addicts and active addicts. Recovering addicts are those who don't currently use drugs or alcohol.
They may have a short or long history of substance abuse. However, they have undergone treatment and are working to abstain for life. Active addicts are those who currently use drugs or alcohol. The vast majority of active addicts live their lives in denial.
They don't think they have a substance abuse problem at all. Of course, they don't think they need treatment for their addictions. The question is, should recovering addicts continue to be called addicts? Those who say they don't have very firm views on the subject. Science only weakly supports the addictive personality and may be of little use in overcoming addictions because it is something that cannot be changed.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to potential addiction because their brains are not yet fully developed, especially the frontal regions that help control impulses and assess risk. Unfortunately, there are still no medications available to treat addiction to stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine, but behavioral therapies can help. This area, known as the prefrontal cortex, is the same region that should help you recognize the harms of substance use. Behavioral therapies help people in treatment for drug addiction to modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use.
This saying leads many to believe that addicts can never improve and are doomed to be addicted for life. Addiction tends to be inherited, and certain types of genes are stretches of DNA, a substance inherited from parents, which define characteristics such as the risk of suffering from certain disorders, such as addiction. If you want to get a better idea of exactly what addiction is, read the first part of the series on addictions. The chronic nature of addiction means that for some people, relapsing or returning to drug use after an attempt to stop using drugs may be part of the process, but newer treatments are designed to help prevent relapses.
For an addict on the road to recovery, considering himself cured of his addiction must be the most common and self-deceptive justification for a relapse that exists.