Understanding the Reasons Why Addiction Isn’t a Choice

One of the most prevailing myths about addiction is that someone who develops alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance use disorder (SUD) simply doesn’t have any self-control, and that’s the reason for their disease. This thought continues to perpetuate the stigma, so it’s critical to explain how many catalysts cause addiction—and why finding individual solutions makes all the difference for a successful recovery.

Antiquated Thinking Doesn’t Promote Health

The concept of addiction is frequently tied to morality. Historians often point to 1800s church abstinence pledges as well as the temperance movement and Prohibition in the U.S. as decisive moments that influenced the public perception of this disease. Today, addiction scientists continue to demonstrate that any health condition can have a direct impact on our emotional, mental, and physiological capacities—for example, asthma, diabetes, or heart disease—but no one points to the moral failings of an individual when they’re suffering with these medical issues.

However, unlike those illnesses, when someone is addicted to a powerful chemical substance, their mind and body become reliant on it. Even though maladaptive behavior may have devastating consequences in daily life, the physical changes that occur in the brain with repeated substance use impair a person’s behavior control and decision-making ability.

First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) stresses that “People experiencing addiction do care for their loved ones and deeply understand that their substance use causes their family, friends and community pain and guilt. [However], addiction is not a choice. Ending addiction is much more complicated than ‘just saying no’.”

Why Being Addicted Isn’t a Choice

While it’s true that people initially choose to use drugs or alcohol, the conscious intent isn’t to become addicted. Some can frequently use substances without developing a compulsion to misuse, such as:

A prescription issued by a healthcare provider
Lawfully obtained substances like alcohol or marijuana
Illicit drugs like cocaine, fentanyl, or PCP

Unfortunately, research also indicates other individuals experience predictable neurological changes with each use, which only creates a stronger dependence. Other risk factors such as trauma, environmental triggers, family behavior and genetics, and psychological characteristics such as impulsivity also contribute to a powerful reliance on a substance, leading to SUD or AUD.

The Addiction Policy Forum makes this powerful statement. “Like other illnesses, addiction gets worse over time. Similar to stages of cancer, there are levels of severity to describe a substance use disorder.” It also reinforces that “The National Institute on Drug Abuse, the American Medical Association, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine frame substance use disorder as a medical condition.”

Willpower Isn’t Enough

While diligence and self-control certainly play a role in overcoming addiction, research shows that alone, they’re often insufficient. In an article for Treatment Magazine, psychologist, addiction counselor, and professor Ryan Blackstock said, “I think there are boundaries to our existence where sometimes willpower itself isn’t enough. In the beginning, it takes a lot of willpower, not to mention trust in a recovery process, to stay sober.”

As mentioned above, genetic factors contribute to SUD and AUD susceptibility. Additionally, some people are predisposed to produce lower levels of dopamine or have less sensitive dopamine receptors, making it more difficult for them to feel pleasure from non-addictive activities. This makes managing symptoms of SUD or AUD on willpower alone even harder without comprehensive treatment.

Find the Right Kind of Care at Fair Oaks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “1 in 6 Americans reports experiencing a substance use disorder. There’s not one single driving factor that leads to addiction.” Unfortunately, the organization also notes that fewer than 10% of the people who need addiction rehabilitation won’t get it—often because they don’t believe their condition is treatable.

To truly help people with SUD or AUD, it’s critical to clarify that while the condition might be complex, it can be managed effectively with proper medical attention. This is the same thought process applied to anyone who needs medical care to manage other chronic illnesses.

While developing an addiction isn’t a choice, going to a rehabilitation facility for proper detoxification and acute medical care is. Fair Oaks Recovery Center in Sacramento, California is a licensed Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital, issued by the California Department of Public Health to addiction rehabilitation and dual diagnosis treatment facilities.

Our board-certified professionals meet each person where they are and develop an individualized continuum of care plan based on evidence-based treatment and holistic therapies. Contact our admissions team today to learn how this approach can help you or someone you love.

For more information about programs offered at Fair Oaks Recovery Center, including our intensive outpatient program in Sacramento, please call us today at (888) 576-0222.

Understanding the Reasons Why Addiction Isn’t a Choice

Antiquated Thinking Doesn’t Promote Health

Why Being Addicted Isn’t a Choice

Willpower Isn’t Enough

Find the Right Kind of Care at Fair Oaks

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