Reasons Why People Fail at Overcoming Addiction

In the last article, we discussed the addiction cycle and how getting trapped in it sort of feels like a fly that is caught between two panes of glass with no way out. This is obviously one of the major reasons that people fail at overcoming their addiction but it is by far not the only reason. In this chapter, we will explore some of the ways that people place destructive roadblocks in their own way to prevent them from escaping their addiction.

READ: The Addiction Cycle

Back to the Cycle

Most of the time, the reason that people fail at overcoming addiction is that every time they come to the end of their cycle it starts over again. It’s like driving along the highway from one side of the country to the other, and desperately needing to stop and use the restroom but you cannot find a single exit ramp. The cycle of addiction – and the way it traps people – is the main reason that people fail at overcoming their addiction. But it is by no means the only reason.

They Don’t Really Want to Quit

One reason that people fail to overcome their addiction is that they really don’t want to quit. In other words they haven’t reached that rock-bottom point that we discussed earlier. Any experience substance abuse counselor will tell you that until someone hits rock bottom there is no chance of helping them. Of course, this is quite a common reason that people really don’t want to quit – they know that the drug or other substance is affecting their life, but they haven’t seen major destruction yet and they are enjoying the feeling that they get from it. This is how every addiction on earth begins.

They Have a Destructive Environment

One of the reasons that people fail at overcoming their addiction, is that the environment around them – which they have built during their addiction – is so destructive to getting clean or sober that they simply don’t have the willpower to resist.

They Don’t Have Any Help

Another problem is that people don’t seek out help from those who actually can provide assistance. For example, they don’t seek out a substance abuse counselor, they don’t ask their family members to support them as they try to get clean and they don’t have any friends that are not also addicts.

The Physical Withdrawal Symptoms Are Impossible to Endure

In rare cases, the physical withdrawal symptoms from a drug may be impossible to endure. For example, coming off of heroin can be an extremely painful process that should be supervised by medical professional. There are treatment centers that can help with withdrawal symptoms in drug protocols like methadone.