Drug Addiction Treatment

There is no single theory or reason why some people appear to become addicted or dependent on certain behaviors or substances. The whole field of addictive or dependent behavior is filled with different theories and practitioners who require you to accept their “definition” of what “addiction” means before you can move towards resolving your problem. In fact there are probably as many different ways of defining addictive behavior as there are professionals involved in working with addictions. For the purpose of the Solutions Method, addictive or dependent behavior can be thought of as any behavior or feeling which you feel you have little control over and which increasingly comes to dominate your life. It is behavior which can feel compulsive and comes to overshadow all other areas of your life. From this perspective “addictive” or “dependent” behaviors are not just about the use of physical substances such as alcohol or illegal drugs, but can include other forms of seemingly compulsive behavior. For example the following list identifies just some of the forms of behavior or substances which many people feel they can become addicted to or dependent on:

•Alcohol
•Tobacco
•Illegal drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy or heroin
•Prescribed medication
•Over-the-counter medications
•Gambling
•Computers
•The internet
•Shopping and spending
•Sex

This list is not exhaustive but shows how many people develop serious addictive behavior problems not just for physical substances but also certain behaviors. The fact is there are emotional and psychological factors behind every addiction, even addictions to physical substances. And, these emotional and psychological factors are far more powerful than the physical addiction. Ask any one who has given up or tried to give up smoking cigarettes. They will all tell you that coping with the effects of the physical withdrawals are much easier than coping with the emotional, psychological and social factors. Many smokers will tell you that, months, sometimes even years, after the physical cravings have gone, it is the emotional, psychological and social factors which often make them relapse and take them back to smoking.

So what causes addictive behavior?

As mentioned, there has been no single cause identified which explains people developing addictive behavior. The most common view is that addiction is caused by faulty genes or the power of individual physical substances such as alcohol or heroin to “control” people. The media puts forwards the idea that a substance such as heroin has such a powerful pharmacological effect that people lose all control over using it. In many ways “addiction” problems have been framed as a medical problem and there is huge amounts of money spent on researching and treating “addiction” problems with prescribed medication. The fact is though that addictive behavior is a complex interaction between an individual’s biology, their psychology and their social environment. Research clearly demonstrates that although physical substances such as alcohol and tobacco have a powerful effect in changing a person’s biochemistry, a person’s behavior also changes their biochemistry. Researcher’s have demonstrated that how we behave makes physical changes to our brain. To be effective in changing an addiction or dependency problem any approach has to take account of the emotional drivers behind such behaviors and help people to learn effective ways of changing their emotions and behaviors.

The effects of addiction

Any addictive or dependent behavior can seriously negatively impact on a person’s life. At the worse end of the spectrum a person may suffer serious physical health problems, financial problems and even legal problems. An addiction can lead to work related problems and create huge difficulties in personal relationships. At the other end of the spectrum, many people begin to become aware that they are spending more and more of their time with their particular addiction and can see that the situation will only become more severe if they do not find a way to change their behavior. For many of these people they do not know how or even if they can change. The fact is though that with the right information and motivation any problem an individual has with a particular addiction can be addressed and a person can make positive changes to their situation.

How can the Solutions Method help?

The Solutions Method works on the emotional and behavioral factors which contribute to any behavior which may be thought of as “addictive” or “dependent”. The fact is that even if someone has an “addiction” to a physical substance, they will have emotional and psychological factors which drive their addiction. The Solutions Method works on helping you to change your behavior and emotional drivers which in turn will create physical changes.