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- Illness is Progressive -

Overview

The disease of chemical addiction grows worse over time. People who return to alcohol and/or drugs after months or years of sobriety find that their addiction symptoms appear to have grown worse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They report an increase in the negative thinking, attitudes, and behavior patterns associated with their active addiction and in the harmful things that happen.

Progression of Chemical Addiction

As chemical addiction progresses, old friends and activities slip away and chemically dependent individuals increasingly focus on using. They fear not being able to live without using, so they become hostile when anyone challenges their using. They stop caring about family and friends and become increasingly isolated. Their health and their ability to function diminish, and they get more desperate and irrational, blaming others for their serious problems. When they finally hit bottom, they have to decide if they are willing to surrender. They must accept that their lives have become unmanageable, or they must decide that they want to keep using and destroy what is left of their lives.

Addicted Brains Are Different Brains

Chemically dependent people should not let themselves think that they are cured just because they have been sober a while and have not felt a desire to return to alcohol or drugs. Brains adapt to the repeated exposure to addictive substances by creating a new chemical balance. Those adaptive chemical changes in the brain increase as the disease progresses and, in time, permanently change the brain's chemistry. Once individuals lose control of alcohol and drug use, those permanent chemical changes prevent them from ever using normally again.

A very few people who have not experienced adaptive chemical changes find that they can cut back and drink in a controlled manner. Most of those individuals never become heavily addicted, so controlled drinking is possible for them. For individuals who realize that addiction is a part of their life, this is simply not possible. Individuals who doubt this and feel that they can drink socially might try controlled drinking until they are fully convinced that it is not possible for them.

Chemically dependent people who have lost the ability to control their drinking or drug use should not try to drink or use drugs in moderation. Most chemically dependent people who have tried to control or limit their alcohol and/or drug use fail. Eventually, they find themselves once again at the same or higher level of use than before. They also find themselves with the same problems or with problems that have grown worse. Any use of alcohol and/or drugs keeps the disease of chemical addiction active and makes full recovery almost impossible. Many people have to fail repeatedly at controlling their drinking or drug use before they can accept their addiction.

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