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One of the most elusive answers in the world is figuring out why drug addicts use drugs.
An older, more traditional view would be that drug addicts basically have low willpower, are morally deficient or bankrupt, or just not good people. Thank goodness emerging science is providing us with some different answers. Just about every person with drug addiction believes in the beginning they can quit anytime they want to. A lot of them just don’t want to, but they believe they can.
Though some people with addiction are able to quit entirely on their own, they are great rarity. The vast majority of people attempting to quit through sheer willpower and without treatment failed to achieve and maintain long-term abstinence. But this is not necessarily due to lack of willpower or commitment.
In the last 10 years great strides have been made toward understanding the biology of the brain in a way we never could before the advent of CAT scans and specialized MRIs. This biological component may be helpful in explaining how difficult it is to achieve and maintain abstinence without treatment. Addiction is a multifaceted foe.
In addition to a biological element, there is a psychological element, as well as and more often than not a co-occurring mental health disorder. Anyone of these factors by themselves, or in combination can block the achievement of sustained abstinence and make relapse a likely event.
The good news is that research support overwhelmingly that participating in a treatment program is an essential component for long-term beneficial outcomes and can help even the most severely addicted individuals. The best results come from a combination of medical detox, full drug rehabilitation, and follow through on a continuing care program.
