The Downward Spiral of Addiction

When people first begin using alcohol or drugs, they may experience pleasure and relaxation. It can even seem to some of these individuals like they have found the perfect solution to all of life’s problems. These substances can make life easier in the beginning. They give shy people the courage to socialize and a reprieve from the stresses of life.

As the individual uses these substances more and more, their life starts to deteriorate. It might take them some time to realize it, but they are now trapped in a downward spiral. An addict once described this situation: “Alcohol gave me wings, but then took away the sky”.

Unless people escape their addiction, their ultimate destination is insanity or death. The longer they delay their escape, the more they will lose.

Delay causes more deterioration

A downward spiral describes a situation where something deteriorates over time. The downward spiral of addiction highlights the reality that once people become addicted, their lives become increasingly intolerable.

The longer their addiction lasts, the higher their price will be. Implied within the idea of the downward spiral is the understanding that the individual will be unable to escape their descent unless they give up the addiction. They may have good days and bad days along the way, but their lives will exhibit obvious signs of deterioration over time.

The pattern of downfall

Addicts tend to follow a general downward pattern with their addiction. This is not to say that they will follow the way strictly, but they will often pass through the following stages:

• The individual is first introduced to alcohol or drugs through experimentation. There may be a bit of peer pressure to push them into trying these substances. They might just be curious about the fuss about alcohol or drugs.
• If the individual enjoyed his first experimental encounters with alcohol and drugs, he would want to continue using them. They become regular users. At this stage, they might be getting plenty of enjoyment from this activity without too many unwanted side effects. Most people who use alcohol will never go beyond this stage. There are also drug users who remain at this level of usage.
• If the regular user is not careful, they can slide into the risky use of alcohol and drugs. They make a few poor decisions and become more reliant on these substances. Such people may have start experiences a lot of stress in their lives, and turn to these chemicals to escape the discomfort.
• The next step in the downward spiral is mental dependence on the drug. The individual will feel unable to cope if they do not have enough of their substance to get them through the day.
• The next stage of the downward spiral is addiction. They become physically and psychologically dependent on the substance. This means that they have developed a tolerance for the drug. They need more and more of the substance to get high. If they try to stop, they will experience withdrawals. The individual will continue their addiction until they die or hit rock bottom and quit.

The downward slide is costly

The longer people remain addicted, the more they are likely to lose. The downward spiral can rob the addict of much of what they value in life, including:

• Physical health: Alcohol and drugs ravage the organs of the body. Health is further damaged because most addicts do not care for themselves properly.
• Mental health: The deterioration can drive the individual into the most profound insanity and depression.
• Relationships: The addict not only destroys their own lives but also the lives of the people who are close to them. Removing the addict from their life can be the only way that some people can avoid this destruction.
• Finance: Addiction is a drain on financial resources. To make matters worse, the individual will often struggle to find stable employment.
• Self-respect: Alcoholism and drug abuse take people to incredible lows. It drains away their self-respect and confidence.
• Hope: Eventually, addiction will take away the individual’s hope for the future. They reach a stage where they realize things will never get any better. They may also feel pessimistic about their chances of escaping addiction. When people lose hope, it can put them on the fast track to death.

Functioning addicts

Not every addict will follow the typical pattern of the downward spiral. Life will still deteriorate over time, but it can be far less noticeable to others.

A functional alcoholic or addict can build an outwardly successful life despite struggling with addiction. They will manage to do this because of their drive for success and the constraints this life puts on their substance abuse. This person will have plenty of money to spend on their addiction, and they can easily explain away their excesses as just letting off steam. So long as they remain successful, other people will be willing to put up with their behaviour. A functioning addict can suffer significantly because they may feel they have too much to lose by admitting they have a problem.

Hitting ‘Rock Bottom’

The way that people escape the downward spiral of their addiction is by hitting rock bottom. This is when the individual has lost enough because of their addiction that they are unwilling to lose any more.

There is a misconception that addicts must lose everything to hit rock bottom, but this is untrue. Some people will have a high rock bottom where they lose very little before becoming willing to seek support to end their addiction. The sooner the individual becomes ready to escape the downward spiral, the better it will be for them. If they insist on riding to the bottom, all they will find is death.

Recovering from an addiction

It is possible to think of the downward spiral into addiction as passing through different stages. The same can also be said of recovery. The usual phases that lead people to sobriety include:

• The individual can see past denial and acknowledge their problem.
• They decide to escape the misery of their current circumstances.
• Next, they will usually investigate recovery options.
• They will now take concrete action to end their addiction. They might enter rehab or give up by themselves.
• They will need to undergo a period of detoxification from the addictive substance. They are likely to suffer withdrawals at this stage.
• Once the individual has made it through the withdrawals, they are ready for early recovery. They begin to develop ways of dealing with life without alcohol or drugs.

Recovery is a process, not an event. Recovery maintenance is a stage that the individual will only partially graduate from.

After about three years of sobriety, things should become more manageable. If the individual keeps on developing in recovery, they may reach a stage known as serenity. This is where they usually experience a sense of peace and happiness.

The downward spiral in reality

Addicts can appear sceptical when they first hear about the downward spiral. They will claim that they have good days and bad days in addiction. This is a misunderstanding of what is meant by the downward spiral. It describes something that happens throughout an addiction.

There may well be good days and bad days, but the general direction of life will be downward. This deterioration can occur so slowly that the individual is now aware of it. They see their descent more clearly when they compare their lives to how they were a few months or years ago. If the individual is in strong denial, they might be unable to admit to any deterioration in life because of their addiction. They will blame any problems on other environmental factors and continue to see chemicals as their saviour.

Get help if your alcohol or drug use is out of hand or causing trouble. The faster you get help, the better your chances of getting better. Schedule an appointment with a therapist.

Stop the spiral and experience true joy and serenity in life!

Click www.hopetrustindia.com for an online or in-person appointment with an expert.