Can You Cure Addiction?

Some believe that an addiction cure exists, where such habits can disappear through treatment.

Others see the realism of addiction recovery, and how it’s a treatable condition that requires ongoing management. Which do you back when questioning ‘can you cure addiction?’.

Reasonably, an addiction for some individuals can diminish to a point where such results resemble a cure. In this instance, ongoing drug and alcohol exposure, or alternative addictive stimuli will be low, and will carry no effect when considering relapse risks.

However, for others, such progress cannot be experienced at an efficient rate, where effort, management and ongoing focus will be required to avoid relapse.

While it may be disheartening to hear, addiction recovery is a complex and personal process, which therefore cannot promote the curing capabilities of rehab.

Recognised as a severe brain condition, treatment, management and remission are realistic, helping to normalise sobriety. However, there are a number of factors that can dictate how realistic addiction recovery is for a single individual, which commonly differentiates the opinions of the cured vs treated argument of addiction.

Specialist research suggests that the complexity of addiction cannot lead to a cure as a reasonable status. This is from a genetic, biological and internal standpoint. Yet the next best thing to a cure can be aimed for, through management, untangling the statement of once an addict, always an addict.

Here’s some transparent insight into ‘can you cure addiction?’, along with how we can assist with your addiction recovery journey here at Action Rehab.

Is the phrase once an addict, always an addict true?

Many individuals who lack a full understanding of addiction and its development as a brain condition believe that obsessive and addictive behaviours are a choice. Addiction recovery is seen as easy for those individuals, where choosing to withdraw is enough to cure addiction.

While we’re sure that many recovering addicts would long for such an experience, where a switch of choice can promote strong addiction recovery capabilities, this is in fact untrue.

Great effort, investment and management must be instilled within the addiction recovery process to untangle and retune both the body and mind. Like other conditions, treatment and recovery steps are essential to place someone with addiction into remission.

Although such efforts are necessary, it’s however important to remember that this level of investment can influence change, which will place the statement of ‘once an addict, always an addict’ as untrue.

People change, people grow, people forgive and forget, and people rise above their past to reach a point of cure. While an indefinite cure isn’t promoted, managing such change is possible with sustainable, healthy steps.

Those living with addiction are regularly stereotyped and stigmatised, which is unfair and disheartening. While the causation of addiction and while traits can reside, especially for those with genetic vulnerabilities towards addiction, we must remember that self-development and addiction recovery steps can break such stereotype, allowing for a quality life to be experienced.

Can you cure addiction?

Some individuals will stand up for the cure of addiction, believing that their experience of addiction recovery has provided long-term capabilities of sobriety. This will be down to the personal experience of addiction recovery, as every exposure to rehab and long-term management will differ.

It’s also essential to take personal experiences into consideration, as recovery resembling a cure may be greater for those with minimal addictions, for those with nurture-based causations, and for those who have control over their mental health. For others with nature-based causations and mental health vulnerabilities, such ease cannot be secured through addiction recovery.

Averagely, management is key, where relapse risks stand high within the first 2 years of recovery. This highlights how unreliable the promotion of a cure is, causing a false sense of security for many recovering addicts. For some, it’s realistic, yet for others, the adjustments caused by addictive behaviours will be ingrained, making management the only option.

As it’s such a complex argument and accurate forecasts cannot be made, it’s therefore wise to tackle addiction recovery as an individual, as a singular experience, rather than following the majority.

Cured vs Treated

The cured vs treated argument continues to reside, down to varying experiences of addiction recovery. However, as addiction is similar to other chronic conditions, the argument of treatment prevails across research and experiences.

It’s understandable that many will long for the cured status of addiction. Living with an addiction can be exhausting, never mind maintaining its recovery for the long term.

However, we must remember that a cure cannot be longed for, as there are many uncontrollable variables linked to the aggravation of addiction.

For example, someone with a drug and alcohol addiction cannot pre-empt the exposure of such stimuli moving forward, and how such exposure will make them feel.

Treatment, in this instance, will help to promote withdrawal and the management of such exposure. Yet once independent recovery is experienced, a definite positive reaction cannot be safeguarding, meaning that an addiction cure is unreliable to communicate.

Great change, mirroring a cure can be aimed for through sustainable recovery steps. However, to maintain such a positive standpoint, treatment, relapse prevention and lifestyle management will be key.

Answering ‘can you cure addiction?’ carries multifaceted results, as experiences differ at an uncontrollable scale. Yet, in the majority of cases, remission will instead be the goal, rather than the commonly inaccessible status of an addiction cure.

Long-term addiction recovery as a sustainable goal

Instead of aiming for a cure, aiming for long-term addiction recovery will be encouraged, standing as a sustainable goal. Even though this outlook and path, recovery can be experienced, a sober lifestyle can be managed, and a life without the addict stereotype can be sustained.

To make such results sustainable, you’ll need to embrace addiction treatment, commit to change, and see addiction recovery for the maintenance step that it is.

With reduced pressure and expectations, along with reliable guidance of rehab, you can in fact be happier and healthier through long-term recovery, instead of aiming for the unrealistic goal of a cure.

At Action Rehab, we’re sure that a cure will be longed by many. However, as a generic journey of addiction is unlikely, completing a step-by-step journey towards a cure is impossible. With our guidance, you can instead work towards the realism of long-term addiction recovery, by committing to your future.

Can you cure addiction? It all depends on experience, on outlook and on the realism of such status on a personal level. Instead, look to treat and manage addiction recovery.

Source

https://www.michaelshouse.com/blog/can-cure-addiction/

Posted on Friday, May 14th, 2021 at 12:18 pm in Addiction, Latest News.