The main reason why people relapse is because addiction is a mental illness. Individuals with schizophrenia record the highest number of relapse rate. Drug addiction has been increasing steadily resulting in increased fatal drug overdose for the last decade. The increased chronic pain among Americans with reports indicating that 11.2% of the population experience chronic pains while 17.6 % struggle with severe pains have increased opioids prescription resulting in heroin abuse as well as addiction. According to the quest diagnostic providers who are responsible for performing employee’s drug testing, the percentage of employees testing positive for drugs to had reached 10 years higher in 2015. This is because of increased uncertainty which has resulted in high levels of anxiety and stress in relations to income, job insecurities as well as discrimination threats. The reason why people get addicted to things is that it is a biopsychosocial disorder. Addiction is a mixture of individual neurobiology and genetics and how it interacts with social and psychological factors.
Addiction is, therefore, a long-lasting complex brain illness and this explains why individual who get treated eventually relapse even after years of sobriety.
Reasons why people experience addiction relapse
Addiction starts slowly as little by having a drink which can be either after having a long day at work or just for recreation purposes. The pleasant sensation accompanied by a drink is enough to slip into dependency and tolerance. This can later lead to addiction for some users (Erickson 1447). However, despite an individual experiencing detrimental consequences both to others and selves due to drugs abuse, they tend to go back into their previous addiction habits even after the treatment. This happens when they are faced by benign cues or when under stress that reminds them of their addicting drug. The reasons why people relapse is due to environmental stressors, drug influence, peer influence as well as the user personality (Erickson 1447). The young and the poor are however the ones who are most affected by the drug abuse.
Drugs such as amphetamine, cocaine and marijuana create psychological dependency where the former addicts may be driven by the urge to repeating the experience. This is because such drugs offer satisfaction and euphoria (Erickson 1447). Physical dependency can also arise from alcohol and heroin use. The action of drugs on the brain and specific receptors significantly contribute to addiction relapse.Drugs interfere with the balance between the neural systems responsible for signalling the balance of delayed and immediate cause of actions. The addictive substance acts by releasing neurotransmitter dopamine in nuclear accumbens which interacts with glutamate hijacking the brain system related to reward learning systems (Why addiction causes craving). As a result, individuals are at risks of making an impulsive decision and are unable to weigh future consequences in relation to drug addiction (Erickson 1447. In addition, individual complex personality traits such as stress responsiveness risks taking, impulsivity, as well as their relationship to addiction vulnerability, can be influenced by genetics (Erickson 1447). A former addict may be predisposed to alcoholism by genetic influences as well as the neurobiology alcohol consumption that transit to uncontrollable binge-drinking habit. This, however, makes them vulnerable to addiction relapse.
Immediately upon refraining from using drugs, nicotine or alcohol, a person experience challenges of dealing with the withdrawal symptoms which may include concentration problems, nausea as well as agitation (Why addiction causes craving). Despite having withdrawn from the substance use the extreme craving for the desired substance might trigger relapse as it may continue for years. This is because long exposure to the substance use results in communication between the nerves cells in the prefrontal cortex and the nuclear accumbens thus linking the desired action with the pleasure it brings about. In response, the amygdala and the hippocampus stores the information in regard to the environmental cues linked with the desired substance in a way that such information can be located again (Why addiction causes craving). Such memories assist in creating conditioned responses in case one encounters such environmental cues
In an interview about an investigation on the world of drug treatment programs hosted by Ailsa Chang, Lurie talks about the loosely regulated rehab industry. In the interview, she explains how the rehabs are shuffling the victims of addiction in and out of the treatment programs while they keep on pocketing the insurance money (Lurie, Chang. Personal Interview.19 March 2019). There have been several cases where an encounter between recovering addicts and patients’ brokers are reportedly said to result in relapse. The brokers are currently working together with some rehabs whereby they get a share of the insurance money. They then use some of the money to offer perks to the recovering addicts where they meet them in places like group meetings, Facebook support groups among others. The perks can be in the form of cash, being taken in expensive hotels thus luring the recovering addicts making them fall back in the same cycle. In most cases, the patients leave rehab with the drugs and the cash they obtained from the brokers. Eventually, they end up relapsing. The cycle is then repeated over time and again without success as the person never gets any better (Lurie, Chang. Personal Interview.19 March 2019).
It’s however unfortunate that the society has in a long time viewed addiction as a character flaw or a moral failure rather than a bona fide brain disorder (Erickson 1447). Most of the employed rehab counsellors are not even qualified to work there. Apparently, a counsellor just undergoes through nine hours training before being enrolled to work a rehab centre (Lurie, Chang. Personal Interview.19 March 2019). Many rehabs no longer employ even a single licensed doctor and this explains why many of the rehabs are not even licensed and are operating illegally.
Triggers
Many people relapse to their addiction because of detoxing only their bodies and failing to detox their entire life. Medical detoxification only cleanses the body from toxins and chemicals attached to the system, internal organs as well as the brain. Long term drug consumption creates brain connection between drug experiences and daily routines. Individuals may, therefore, experience uncontrollable alcohol and drugs cravings if exposed to certain cues. Extreme cravings act as a reflex to internal or external triggers, with such responses having the ability to affect people who had abstained from substance use for years.
Internal triggers
Mental health or emotional issues (Carr et al. 4): addiction is more of mental illness and hence a brain disorder.Mental disturbing events are the strongest and the most common triggers to addiction.Negative emotions such as anger, depression, and anxiety are linked with relapse. People affected by mental health issues like bipolar disorder and depression have the toughest time withdrawing from substance abuse. Most of such individuals find themselves falling back into the trap especially when they encounter difficulties in life despite having gone through several years of sobriety. Alcohol and drugs fling individuals in oblivion where they are able to escape painful realities in life. Former addicts may shift back into drugs once they are faced with such difficult moments during their recovery process. Moreover the mental and physical illnesses drugs prescription can alter the minds of an individual triggering addiction and relapse
In addition, individuals affected by schizophrenia records the highest relapse rate between 50 to 92 per cent. It’s so unfortunate that this happens despite them being enrolled in well-institutionalized rehab facilities. Most schizophrenia relapse cases are as a result of deteriorating psychotic symptoms. The highest risk of relapse which is uncontrolled or unmanaged is the mental health problem.
Stress: individuals with stress are likely to experience relapse as stress makes them more susceptible to substance use (Erickson 1447). This can happen even after several years of abstinence as they tend to remind them of their addicting substance or drugs.
Internal Triggers
Internal triggers are difficult to manage as they include emotions, thoughts as well as feelings formerly associated with drug and substance abuse. Individuals are highly likely to crave for substance and drug use following their exposures to such cues.
External Triggers
The external trigger includes places, people, objects and activities that constantly stimulate cravings or thoughts related to the substance use (Why addiction causes craving). Such primary stimuli and signals results to a swift activation of the path linked with drugs cravings. According to the research, such as subconscious cues (Carr et al. 4) are disastrous as they strengthen the patient’s urge to resuming using drugs without even their knowledge
People: People in an individual social circle may set off cravings which can eventually result in a relapse. This kind of influence is known as social pressure. Being around drugs-consuming friends and family is dangerous to both former addicts and those at recovering stages (Carr et al. 1). It is also perilous being around peers who are abstaining from illicit drugs. Friends are likely to tease someone of not using the substances or even direct them to do so. Giving drugs to a former addict may generate feelings urging the individual to use drugs (Batool, et al 3). In some instances, family and friends may fail to comprehend the results of negative attitude towards addicts in their recovery process thus triggering their urge and feeling of using the substances and alcohol.
Places: high-risk places such as bars and clubs, concerts, schools, neighbourhoods, and worksites reminds former drug users of the times they engaged in drugs and substance (Batool, et al 3). Driving and walking around places where a recovering drug user used to binge drink or consume other substances frequently spark memories associated with alcohol and drug use (Carr et al. 1). Such people are therefore likely to get tempted and stop by which can eventually make them fall into their old habits.
Things: The presence of old objects in a person life can induce lots of cravings. Such objects may include furniture, empty pill bottles, credit card, magazines movies, ATMS, spoons as well as sim cards. Cues like spoons can elicit memories of heroin use to former heroin user even without their knowledge. Former drug addicts are likely to relapse if they fail to detox their phone numbers by detoxing their contacts texts emails and stored numbers as the still have the drugs in their fingertips.
Situations: Stressful situations are likely to push former and recovering addicts into relapse (Why addiction causes craving). Most of the special events which are viewed as positive activities are often linked to other substance or alcohol use. Such events may include graduations, weddings and sporting events. The misconception that a single deviant from treatment plan cannot be harmful makes family and friends to temp individuals in the recovery process to consume alcohol and other substances. Such events play a significant role in addiction relapse (Batool, et al 3). Also, a conflict involving situations may leave those recovering feeling distressed and anxious which can eventually result in a relapse.
Conclusion
Triggers are common and known to results in addiction relapse. Mental illness is, however, the major cause of relapse and therefore, the entire society should work together in controlling drug dealing activities as well as distribution as the only effective way to manage addiction relapse. In addition, society should ensure that former drug addicts are properly institutionalized and assisted accordingly in getting over addiction completely.