Habituation

It’s important to understand that addiction isn’t just one thing. There are many types and many roads to addiction. The first thing to consider is something we all have: habituation. We are creatures of habit, and habits are necessary. If we had to reinvent how to brush our teeth every morning or learn to use eating utensils all over again at every meal, our lives would grind to a halt. Habits are useful and natural aspects of being human.

However, if we habitually use a mood-altering or addictive substance for a long enough period, we will have a hard time stopping. It becomes habituated. Also, in the case of many substances, it changes our brain and our body, so not using the substance can become painful, disruptive, and even a serious health concern. For example, withdrawal from chronic alcohol use can be dangerous, even life-threatening, and needs medical scrutiny and supervision.

Our natural tendency for habituation is a front door for addiction to enter our lives. In short, just using an addictive substance often and long enough creates addiction. How that plays out in our lives depends on a lot of things. The things to consider about how a substance use disorder can evolve in an individual are a complex array of factors.

In no specific order, I try to look at the following: is there a family history of substance use disorders? Were there traumatic aspects like neglect, major losses, severe family dysfunction, and other developmental problems that coping skills and social supports were inadequate to meet? Did substance use provide a temporary fix for those problems?

It’s also important to look at the patterns and length of use.  Is it binge drinking on weekends or a more steady-state style like drinking every evening? How many months or years has the use continued? What is the socialization pattern around use? Also clearly, what substances are used and in what specific amounts and circumstances.

That’s a sample of useful information for determining patterns. It’s important because to treat the problem, we need to know what we’re treating. We also need to know who we are treating. A big part of this work is getting to know the person we’re working with and making a connection.

Thanks for reading this entry. There will be more short entries coming soon.