From Sensation and Avoidance to Serenity
Addiction creates heightened needs for sensation. Its consequences produce the need for avoidance. What was once a short-term thrill or remedy, becomes a repeated pattern of running to and from. Attachment to the chemical solution becomes increasingly strong.
In the turmoil created by using short-term solutions over a long span of time, medium to long-term reward is sacrificed for immediate satisfaction and relief. Financial, work and legal problems, interpersonal conflicts and/or isolation, and emotional distress build.
Only after the consequences become insurmountable do people caught in the addiction-cycle seek help. Taking a pill to solve an addiction is very seductive for both the consumer and the
pharmaceutical manufacturer. Ironically, we seek another drug-induced solution for what proves to be a destructive practice over time… immediate reward and remedy.
Many alcoholics and opioid addicts prefer taking naltrexone or buprenorphine in the absence of counseling or therapy.
We invest enormous amounts of research time and investment seeking the magic pill- our cultural gears are synchronized to physical fixes. Personal or psychological change requires laborious and unattractive learning, effort and practice.
Moving away from home into a sensational treatment center seems much more interesting than commuting to and from counseling sessions on a daily basis. When change actually needs to be made at home with family and friends, people seeking recovery often prefer to seek relief from their problems by moving somewhere that feels remote. The problems at home wait.
At what point does someone engaging in recovery detach from the immediate reward/ relief cycle?
When do we start to pursue intermediate and long-term solutions and appreciate incremental gain?
When does recovery become its own reward?
Biological, psychological and social effects of substance use disorders subside at different rates for each person. The length of time spent in an addictive cycle, personality, social and occupational support, and access to effective treatment all influence the rate at which a person may engage and progress in their personal course of recovery.
There is a point at which a recovering person realizes that they are no longer looking for a quick fix and instead find themselves satisfied with the present. More will come and regardless of our expectations, recovering people become excited at seeing change.
Beauty is found in the simplest things. Love and respect are shared not only with family but with other people around us. Trust replaces fear. Humility replaces looking better than the next guy. We become comfortable where ever we are standing.
“Today” is a gift of recovery. Rather than chasing for the next sensation or remedy, people in recovery know that the solution is in the present, taking the best next step.
Twin Town Treatment Centers is immediately accessible to all Los Angeles and Orange County residents, is accredited by The Joint Commission, and is certified by the California DHCS. All network HMO/PPO/EPO insurance plans contract with Twin Town Treatment Centers to provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Our phone is answered by real people. We can see people on the same day you call. (866) 594-8844
