Find Local Treatment Options
Call 888-646-0635 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.Who Answers?

Understanding the Psychology of Addiction

Addiction, regardless of what the addiction is to, is a deeply psychologically based condition. The roots of addiction’s causes, beginnings, and overall control over a person often are based within the person’s mind.

Even if the addiction requires a physical act and has a physical response, it is largely mental. Having an understanding of addiction’s psychological aspects can greatly help with understanding addiction and treating it.

The Complexity of Addiction

Due to the large psychological aspects of addiction, it can be an incredibly complex condition. Often, those with an addiction may not even be aware of their behavior as being out of control and damaging to their person and others.

The reasons a person engages in their addiction behaviors in the first place may even have been a result of something in their subconscious. Often, addiction may have arisen as a means of dealing with emotional stress. There might have been existing mental illness that predisposes the person to addiction, or make them see addictive behaviors as “normal”.

Mental State and Perception

Psychology of Addiction

Many addicts don’t perceive their substance use or behavior as a problem.

The psychological causes of addiction are often heavily debated by those in the medical field. However, having an understanding of how addiction affects the person’s mental state can have a huge impact on their treatment and recovery.

The way a person’s mind is before the addiction sets in can show how they will respond to it and to treatment. Sometimes, a person’s mental state can affect how they see their addiction. In some cases, it may be like the person is almost blind to the severity of their addiction, simply because their mental state prevents them from registering it as a concern.

Addiction and Chemistry

According to the DEA, each person is affected differently by addictive substances. This is often why some people, when exposed to drugs, do not become addicted while others do. Due to the chemistry of people’s brains and bodies, it cannot be easily determined how someone will respond.

Addiction can actually change a person’s psychology, which is often why loved ones will remark that they don’t recognize the person when they are using or don’t understand why they simply can’t stop. The NIDA further elaborates on the topic, stating that some addictive substances can mimic the natural chemical structures of the brain, overwriting normal functions.

Some can also cause what may be like a system overload in the mind as well.

As a result of the variations in the psychology of addiction, treatment often is required to be easily adjustable for a case by case basis. Usually, there is often multiple levels of evaluation done to determine what treatment options can be used.

Sometimes, what works with one person won’t work with the next, even if they were both addicted to the same thing. There also is the issue of any mental conditions that existed before the addiction took hold, which may require further psychoanalysis.

Due to the deep hold some addictions have on a person psyche, treatment can take considerable time and may require modification along the way. Addiction can have a high rate of relapse due to the extent of the psychology associated with it.

If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, do not hesitate to contact us at 888-646-0635Who Answers? in order to speak with a caring specialist and to find out more information about addiction and recovery.

Why go to a Specialized Rehab?

More Rehab Centers Resources

How Going to Rehab Will Affect Your Family and Friends

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a chronic disease that goes untreated far too often. When people suffering from this disease decide to get help, they have a number of decisions to make, and consequences to consider. One of the best treatment options for addiction and substance abuse is rehab. However,….

Continue reading

Pros and Cons of Free Rehab Facilities

addiction recovery

Financing a drug addiction has left more than a few addicts unable to pay for needed drug treatment help. Add to this the high likelihood of job loss before all is said and done and free rehab facilities can quickly become the only treatment alternative a person has. As drug addiction rates continue to climb,….

Continue reading

Rehab Centers Welcomes Maryland Drug and Alcohol Treatment Provider Calvert Treatment Facility to the Network

Calvert Treatment Facility can help you recover from your addiction!

Calvert Treatment Facility and Rehab Centers have come together to provide greater access to drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Maryland effectively leading more residents along the journey to recovery. Rehab Centers is a community resource that specializes in promoting rehabilitation services of rehab centers throughout the United States. Recently, Calvert Treatment Facility of Maryland….

Continue reading

How Alcohol Rehab Centers Help Treat Addiction

Alcohol rehab centers can be your solution to beating your alcohol addiction.

We know how important it is for you to get the help that you need and when you do make the decision to seek help for alcohol addiction, we can help you find alcohol rehab centers that are ready to start treating your addiction in the most effective way. However, you may be wondering how an….

Continue reading

Understanding 12 Step Alcohol Rehab Centers

Alcohol rehab centers offer 12 step programs to help you overcome your addiction!

For those suffering from alcohol addiction, 12 step alcohol rehab centers can help to rebuild faith and trust in one’s self, heal the spirit and providing the right level of treatment and counseling to ensure a recovery from addiction. The 12-step program is one of the oldest forms of alcohol treatment, coined by Alcoholic’s Anonymous….

Continue reading

How Everyone can Benefit from a Rehab Center

There are many types of rehab centers and almost anyone can benefit from one of those types. Rehab programs range from addiction treatment to rehabilitation for most mental and physical disorders. These benefits range depending on the specific type of rehab center you are entering. There are however some benefits that are common to all….

Continue reading

Holiday Ideas While In Rehab

The holiday season is a very stressful and lonely time for many people according to the Mayo Clinic. It is also a time for many to be merry, drink, and overindulge in just about everything. Unfortunately, for some this means drugs and alcohol. It is very difficult to find a holiday party or gathering that….

Continue reading

Living with an Alcoholic Husband: The Decision to Seek Help

Get help for your alcoholic husband!

Millions of people online share their own personal stories of success, failure, despair and the disasters that come from living with an alcoholic husband but few share the keys to success or the methods of finding help. It can be trying, difficult, deceitful, dangerous and utmost disastrous to live with an individual who is an alcoholic,….

Continue reading

How Long Should I Stay at Rehab?

Even though most people seeking drug and alcohol treatment are lucky to get 28 days, that’s not the ideal length of stay regardless of the severity of your addiction or your drug of choice. Short-term rehab is more often than not, completely insufficient for true drug and alcohol recovery. Because of the intensity of drug….

Continue reading

5 Sure Signs You Need Prescription Drug Rehab

treatment for drug addiction

Many people don’t understand the seriousness of prescription drug abuse for one very simple reason: they believe these drugs to be 100 percent safe. While it is true that these are safe to take under the eye of a medical professional, there is always the possibility of abuse and addiction. Just the same as street….

Continue reading

Still can't find the help you are looking for?Get Started Now
Accepted Insurances / View the full list
For inquiries call 888-646-0635 Who Answers?

Accepted Insurances Does My Insurance
Cover This?

Where do calls go?

Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser that includes Right Path Rehab.

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW888-646-0635
Who Answers?

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares