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Recovery from addiction is a challenging journey, but it is ultimately very rewarding. It’s normal to encounter obstacles along the road towards living a fulfilled life without drugs or alcohol. Awareness of the common pitfalls seen in addiction recovery is important to be better equipped to navigate them, giving your recovery the best chance of success.
Why recovery can be challenging
During addiction, substance use is more than a habit - it’s embedded into every aspect of your daily life, so managing without it can be very challenging. Over time, the connections in your brain have been altered by substance use, and reversing these changes is difficult.
The first major hurdles are often the cravings associated with withdrawal, which can cause intense physical and psychological symptoms. This can make the desire to take drugs even more powerful, just to put an end to the cravings. Beyond this, mental health problems and stigma associated with addiction provide an ongoing challenge. [1] All of this combined makes relapse common, which is why it’s vital to have as much support as possible when going through addiction recovery.
Common pitfalls in addiction recovery and how to avoid them
Awareness of the common obstacles in addiction recovery will better equip you to overcome them. Some of the most common pitfalls are listed below.
Unrealistic expectations
It can be difficult to keep expectations in check during addiction recovery. It takes a lot of strength to start your recovery, which should be commended, but unfortunately, the benefits are not likely to be seen in the short term. Research has shown it takes 90 days of abstinence before the brain starts engaging in proper function unrelated to substance use, and full recovery is often many months after this. [2]Â
This means the journey can often be frustrating, with good days and bad days along the road. Recovery is not always linear; rather, ups and downs are common. By sticking to a routine, avoiding triggers, and keeping open communication with your personal and professional support network, you can learn to appreciate the small wins along the way.
Thinking detox is all you need
The idea of detox is often unsettling due to the significant withdrawal symptoms that are experienced, so it is easy to become fixated on this alone, without seeing the bigger picture. Detox is the first step on your recovery journey, but it is easy to relapse back into substance use if you don’t have the right aftercare.
To avoid this, speak with the medical professionals supervising the detox to ensure that the right aftercare is in place after the detox is complete. This should often include education, therapy, and engagement in support groups.
Thinking you are cured after treatment
Treatment usually follows detox, but it is sometimes integrated within it, typically lasting for 30-90 days. It generally involves engaging in therapy, building social skills, and gaining education. After this is completed, it’s easy to think you’ve been cured, but you could fall back into old habits if you don’t continue to practice the skills and behaviors you’ve learned.
Remembering you’re still recovering even after the detox and treatment program is vital. Each day you must practice your new behaviors to undo the changes in your brain that were caused by the addiction, and over time, this new way of life will become a routine.
Not addressing underlying mental health problems
People suffering from addiction often have underlying mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, and the addiction may even start from self-medicating with drugs to manage these problems. [3] Following a successful detox and treatment program, if these underlying issues are not also addressed, it’s easy to slip back into drug taking and the whole cycle can start again.
Ensure that while undergoing your addiction treatment, you’re also seeing a mental health professional to get treatment for any underlying mental health problems. This can help reduce the risk of relapse, increasing the chance of a successful recovery.
Getting complacent
If things are going well during your recovery journey, complacency can kick in, which brings with it an increased risk of relapse. In the first few months, the recovery is often tough, but much progress is seen. Following this, things get easier, but the progress also slows down. This can cause parts of the recovery plan to be neglected, which can slowly lead to falling back into old behavior.
Avoid this by remembering you’re not cured and even if things seem easy, focus must be kept on completing each part of the treatment plan daily, even if it feels unnecessary. It’s also important to keep your lifestyle healthy, eating well, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep each night.
Trying to do it alone
Even the most focused and committed person cannot go through an addiction recovery alone. It’s a tough journey, and it will require the support of loved ones and professionals along the way. Having a strong support network is an essential component of addiction recovery, as people can help you when you are going through a tough patch, and they can praise you when things are going well.
Attending support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, can help provide a support network if you don’t already have one. Discussing how you’re feeling with sober family or friends can help as well.
Spending time with people who are bad influences
It’s important to remember that even though you are on your recovery journey, other people might not be. If you’re still meeting up with people who are still taking drugs, it’s easy to give in to the cravings or pressure and relapse into drug-taking.
You might feel that you are doing well in your recovery and that you won’t start taking drugs again, but until you’re in an exposure situation, it is difficult to predict how your body will respond. Although it can be difficult, not seeing these people until they too have recovered from addiction is in the best interests of the success of your recovery.
Understanding relapse and using it as a learning experience
Relapse is common, as addiction changes how your brain functions, so undoing this is difficult. If relapse happens, it’s important not to be disheartened, but instead, use it as learning for next time. By identifying the cause of the relapse, such as a particular physical or psychological trigger, you can prepare to avoid that moving forward in your recovery. For example, if you relapsed due to spending time with people still taking drugs, you know to avoid them in the future.
Make sure to speak with the professionals overseeing your detox so they can help you avoid triggers and give your recovery the best chance of success.
