Guide on How to Break an Addiction

Learning how to break an addiction is a complex challenge. But if you are willing to put in the work, make important lifestyle changes, and get help when you need it, you can end your substance use a live a healthier life in recovery.

Science Behind Addiction

Before we discuss how to break an addiction, we need to spend a few moments discussing what, exactly, an addiction is, and what it means to break or overcome this type of condition.

Among clinicians, addictions are referred to as substance use disorders. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines a substance use disorder as “a cluster of cognitive, behavioral and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continues using the substance despite significant substance-related problems.”

In non-clinical terminology, this means that an addiction can:

• Impact how a person thinks, feels, and acts
• Prevent a person from ending their substance use, even after they have incurred considerable harm as a result of prior use

The DSM-5 also notes that these effects may be related to “an underlying change in brain circuitry that may persist beyond detoxification.” This means that even after a person has rid their body of the substance that they had become addicted to, they may still experience maladaptive thoughts and exhibit unhealthy behaviors.

Types of Addiction

The Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders section of the DSM-5 contains entries for several types of addiction, including:

• Alcohol use disorder (alcoholism)
• Cannabis use disorder (marijuana addiction)
• Phencyclidine use disorder (PCP or angel dust addiction)
• Other hallucinogen use disorder (which can encompass addictions to LSD, peyote, psilocybin, and similar substances)
• Inhalant use disorder (which can include compulsive huffing, sniffing, or bagging, involving aerosols, glues, solvents, and a range of other common household products)
• Opioid use disorder (which includes addictions to heroin, morphine, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers)
• Sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic use disorder (which covers addictions to benzodiazepines and similar drugs)
• Stimulant use disorder (addictions to amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, and drugs with similar properties)
• Tobacco use disorder
• Other (or unknown) substance use disorder (a catch-all category for dependence on substances that aren’t covered by one of the other addiction types)

The effects that these substances can have on your body and mind can vary considerably. But addictions to these drugs share certain common features, such as:

• Tolerance, which means that as your body adapts to the presence of the substance, the substance won’t have the same effect as it used to, so you will have to use greater amounts of the drug to experience the type of high you are seeking
• Withdrawal, which refers to a variety of distressing physical and psychological symptoms that develop when you try to end your use of a substance that you have become addicted to, or when you are prevented from using it for a certain amount of time

As you are considering your options for how to break an addiction, don’t lose sight of the significance – and potential danger – of withdrawal. 

It is virtually impossible to avoid this experience when you try to end your substance abuse, but the nature and severity of your symptoms can be quite different depending on which drug you have been using.

In severe cases, withdrawal symptoms can jeopardize your health or even threaten your life. 

Guide on How to Break an Addiction

When you’re trying to find the best strategy for how to break an addiction, you need to first take an honest look at yourself. Here are few important factors to consider:

• Your age, weight, and metabolism
• Which drug you have become addicted to
• How long you have been using this drug
• How much of the drug you typically use
• Why you first began to abuse the drug
• How your addiction has impacted your life
• If you have a family history of addiction or mental illness
• If you have any co-occurring mental health concerns
• If you are dealing with any significant medical concerns

These factors underscore the complexity of addiction and the difficulties you may encounter when trying to end your substance abuse for good. Remember: Substance use disorders don’t only impact your body. They also affect how you behave, view yourself and the world around you, manage your emotions, and interact with others. 

With that in mind, here are some steps you will have to take in order to break from active addiction:

• Completing the withdrawal process, so that the final traces of the substance you are addicted to have been eliminated from your body
• Identifying the underlying cause of your substance abuse
• Understanding your triggers, which are events or circumstances that might push you back into active substance abuse again
• Developing strategies for avoiding your triggers or responding to them in a way that won’t undermine your recovery
• Replacing self-defeating thought and behavior patterns with healthier ways of thinking and acting
• Improving your ability to resolve conflicts, manage stress, and communicate effectively, all of which can be vital relapse-prevention skills
• Finding healthy and productive ways to fill the hours that you use to spend seeking, using, and requiring from the effects of the substance you were addicted to
• Addressing any co-occurring mental health concerns

If you find that, no matter how hard you try, you can’t accomplish all of this on your own, don’t be discouraged. When you’re trying to learn how to break an addiction, one of the most important lessons is to get help when you need it.

What if I Can’t Break an Addiction?

If you haven’t been able to overcome the compulsion to use alcohol or another drug on your own, it may be time to consider the many treatment options that are available to you.

Depending on a variety of personal factors, you may be best served by enrolling in one or more of the following:

• Detoxification program
• Residential rehab
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
• Outpatient treatment

When you receive care from a reputable provider, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of professionals who can help you accomplish the objectives that we noted in the previous section. Your treatment team can assess the full scope of your needs, then develop a customized plan to guide you through this process.

When you work with experts who are familiar with the challenges of recovery, they can prepare you for obstacles or contingencies that you haven’t even considered yet, but which could threaten to derail your progress.

Contact Phoenix Rising to Begin Your Recovery Journey Today

Phoenix Rising Recovery is a trusted source of life-affirming care for adults who have become addicted to alcohol and other substances. We also offer dual diagnosis programming for patients who are also living with co-occurring mental health disorders.

Our team of compassionate experts can meet you wherever you are in your recovery journey and put you on the path toward the healthier future that you deserve. Working together, you can end your substance abuse for good and build a more hopeful life, free of compulsive drug use.

When you’re ready to get started, we’re here for you. To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.