What Are the Stages of Addiction Recovery? Recovery at the Crossroads

It takes a small minority of people six months of abstinence to reach the point where they don’t go back to their addictive behavior. However, for most people, a commitment of two to five years is necessary to truly break the habit and solidify change. However, they are also still acutely aware of the benefits they perceive from alcohol or drug addiction. This is a critical stage for family members and treatment facilities because the person is more likely to listen to reason.

This model was developed from research looking at how change occurs in “natural recovery” from addictions. It has been embraced by health care providers seeking to move away from confrontational and pathological approaches toward motivational and person-centered approaches, such as motivational interviewing. This stage can last from six months to five years, depending on the severity of the addiction and the individual’s genes and experience.

Use of Multiple Substances and Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions

I started out as a binge drinker and drank heavily for years but never suffered serious withdrawals and never physically needed it to get through a day. I used all manner of drugs for over a decade and although I was psychologically addicted, it wasn’t until heroin that I became physically addicted to a substance. For many people I know, the downward spiral happened much more quickly.

• Most of the person’s thoughts will be centered on how and when they can get high again.
• Specifically, addiction is a condition in which a person has come to rely on the use of an addictive substance.
• Drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) also act on the serotonin neurotransmitter system to produce changes in perception.
• In this stage, an addicted person becomes preoccupied with using substances again.
• Addiction is a chronic disease, and while it affects everyone differently, the stages it takes to get there aren’t.

The mental conditions that are created with the use of the drug or alcohol will cause the body to feel good while using the substance. It then also causes the body to crave the substance when that level of comfort decreases. When you try to stop using the substance your brain sends mixed signals that create confusing physical and mental feelings. Engaging in excessive drug use and drinking alcohol changes the chemistry of the brain, and thus, how it functions. Serotonin and dopamine are the neurotransmitters in your brain that are affected.

More About Treatment Options for the Cycle of Addiction

Depending on the goals you set in the contemplation stage, and the plans you made in the preparation stage, the action stage can occur in small, gradual steps, or it can be a complete life change. It may feel strange and even empty to be living life without your addiction. It takes time to get used to life without an addiction, even if your support and alternative ways of coping are good. The action stage is the focus for many people attempting to overcome addiction.

Whether you’re in the early stages of addiction, you’ve found yourself with a substance use disorder, or if you’ve faced a relapse, Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital can help. By now, drinking or using drugs is no longer optional; the individual must do so or risk feeling sick from withdrawals. Because this stage of addiction also worsens the overall quality of life due to alcohol or how to break the addiction cycle drug dependency, mental health often worsens at this stage as well. It can become harder to hold a steady job, which can create problems in all facets of life. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Drug Addiction Treatment

Young people often try drugs or alcohol when hanging out with peers, and research shows that substance use at a young age puts individuals at higher risk for addiction. Making sound decisions may be difficult because they may not have the critical thinking skills to understand the harmful consequences of risky behaviors. Over time, the brain will even stop releasing the neurotransmitters needed to regulate moods and other bodily functions and instead wait for the substance to regulate these actions instead. As an individual continues their use, the body develops a tolerance and demands larger amounts of the substance more frequently to obtain the same effects. An individual at this stage may even find they start to engage in risker behavior because of their increase in drug or alcohol use. This is the period when someone feels the positive effects of drugs or alcohol.