August 1, 2022
Click on this article to learn about why ambivalence in addiction happens.
When people think of addiction, their mind usually goes to the physical effects: extreme weight loss, bloodshot eyes, and poor physical hygiene. But there are so many more repercussions to addiction.
Long-term substance use disorder, or SUD, can negatively impact your behavior, consciousness, learning, concentration, and memory. Certain substances, such as stimulants, opioids, and psychoactive drugs, can cause cognitive and behavioral changes. They may even continue even after you’ve stopped using the substance.
Lastly, substance addiction heavily affects your social life. Addiction can make you distance yourself from loved ones in connection to behavioral changes. You may even tend to prioritize the substance over people and responsibilities.
And even with all these life consequences, people continue to take harmful substances. That is addiction.
You may ask, “why don’t they seek help?”
People may be hesitant to seek treatment because of the stigmas around addiction. These prevent people from getting the treatment they need to get better.
An article on the National Institute on Drug Abuse also mentions how stigmas affect the healthcare of illicit substance users. This is because of the negative image of addicts and how they are blamed for their condition. Healthcare providers may provide subpar care or even reject them outright.
Aside from the mentioned influences on one’s ambivalence, we’ve listed five more reasons it happens in addiction.
What is the role of ambivalence in addiction? Essentially, ambivalence in addiction is wanting to quit but being unable to. Below are some reasons why one may be hesitant to get treatment.
Most of the time, people get hooked on a drug because of its “positive effect” on them—many like the euphoric effect most drugs bring. Medications generally make people feel better.
Unfortunately, taking too much too often can increase your tolerance and can lead to addiction.
When the problems start to arise, people are on the fence about getting sober. Sobriety means giving up on the drug and not being able to experience the “good change” drugs can give them.
So, instead of getting treatment, they just continue to take the substance, hoping they get to feel the “positive change.”
This one, on some level, is connected to the first but has more reason behind it. One of the main reasons people take drugs or drink alcohol is to feel good. The same line of thought applies to people coping with problems.
Many turn to substances, such as alcohol, to handle their problems. It’s socially acceptable to have a drink at the end of the day to unwind, especially if it was a stressful one. But making it a habit is detrimental to your health, both physical and mental.
A drink can give you a sense of relaxation upfront, releasing endorphins and boosting serotonin levels. As a downer, it can also help put you to sleep. But this short-term fix can lead to long-term problems.
You may become dependent on it, which can lead to addiction or alcoholism. You may feel like you cannot function without alcohol in your system.
That’s why some people feel ambivalent about going to rehab and getting treatment. They might think that without the substance in their system, they may succumb to stress, depression, and anxiety. And until they find a better, safer, and healthier coping strategy, they will continue to pick up a bottle.
Drug addiction has a very powerful way of making one feel weak and helpless. In that person’s mind, they think that they became addicted and remain so because they are not strong enough to resist.
That’s another reason for their ambivalence. Feeling incapable of changing, they don’t even try to get sober.
On some level, they may even feel like they don’t deserve to get better. That may be attributed to the stigma that addicts are menaces to society.
Even while in recovery or treatment, ambivalence can still occur. This is specifically due to the cravings made by neuroadaptation issues during the initial phase of treatment.
The first step in most recovery programs is detox, which removes the substance from your system. And one of the symptoms of withdrawal is cravings.
Intense cravings happen early on because brain neurochemical mechanisms that adapted to the presence of the substance become imbalanced when you start abstinence. In other words, your brain isn’t used to functioning without the drug and is telling you to take more.
Consequently, these cravings push you to turn back to the substance to alleviate the discomfort of craving and other withdrawal symptoms and to “feel normal” again.
Some aspiring recovering addicts hear horror stories of treatments not working, of relapses, and of things going wrong while in programs.
The fear of possibly going through those holds them back from getting treatment.
However, there are a plethora of programs available. What works for one may not work for another. If that’s the case, you can try another one and another and another until you find the one that works for you. Relapses are also common in rehab. While it may be a setback, it doesn’t mean you failed.
So, if a program doesn’t do it for you, don’t give up and just keep going.
The meaning of ambivalence in addiction treatment is that contradictory ideas hinder you from getting better. This greatly stems from stigmas around addiction that prevent them from asking for help and treatment. It also grows from their fears. They might feel like they can’t function without the drug, are too weak to live sober, or that treatments are a hoax and are dangerous.
Even though these ideas dance in your mind, you can get over them and get the help you need. Do your research and play your part to become sober and healthy again.
Are you in need of alcohol & substance abuse counseling? Start your healing and turn to Another Chance Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center of Portland. You can visit us at 12670 NW Barnes Rd Suite 200, Portland, OR 97229. You may also contact us at 971-269-8124 or go to our website.
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