Every person’s experience of addiction is unique. As a result, it is important to not only treat the surface symptoms of addiction but also to dig a bit deeper. When you get to the heart of the problem, you have the opportunity to address these issues and, therefore, have a lasting resolution that helps you recover long-term. Treatment at Rancho Recovery relies on these principles. Therefore, you are seen as a unique individual with root issues that, when addressed, can help you find happiness, health, and wellness after you attend treatment for addiction, mental health challenges, or trauma.
Common Root Causes of Addiction
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there is not a singular cause of addiction. However, like many chronic diseases, there are common root causes that increase your risk of developing addiction. These root causes include biological or genetic, environmental elements, and developmental factors. Genetic and environmental factors influence both your behaviors and how your brain reacts to substance use. Additionally, mental health challenges, which can be both genetic or environmental, can be a piece of the puzzle in why you struggle with addiction.
Biology and genetics cannot be ruled out in addiction, but they are also only one piece of the puzzle. In genetics, the term epigenetics is used to describe how genes are influenced by environment and developmental factors. Therefore, genetics can be a piece of the puzzle; they only put you at a higher risk of addiction rather than the root cause.
Common environmental root causes of addiction include trauma such as physical, mental, or emotional abuse both in childhood and adulthood. Additionally, living or growing up in an environment where drug or alcohol use is prevalent can cause behavioral patterns that play a role in the development of addiction. Environmental stress also plays a role in addiction. This can include distress in the home, or a workload that is unattainable and stressful.
Getting to the Heart of the Problem
In treatment for addiction at Rancho Recovery, you can get to the heart of the problem. The process of getting to the heart of the problem starts with the initial contact, where staff gathers information about you and your unique situation. This information includes understanding your past history, including trauma, and your current lifestyle. Both help you to dive into why you have continued to struggle with addiction and how you can make changes that will help you to successfully recover.
Understanding Trauma and Past History
Having a past history of trauma, both in childhood and adulthood, can play a role in addiction. Research has shown that childhood trauma is closely linked to substance use disorders (SUDs). The connection can be due to both an effort to manage symptoms with substances and the changes that occur in the brain during and after trauma. However, understanding your history of trauma can help in getting to the heart of the problem.
Accepting and acknowledging trauma and negative events in your past is challenging. That is why working with mental health and addiction professionals who are effective, well-trained, and trustworthy is so important. It allows you to be open with your providers and yourself as you discover the root causes of addiction in your life.
Lifestyle and Choices
There is a certain lifestyle that goes along with addiction. It often includes a high level of stress and a certain amount of chaos. At the same time, it lacks self-care and support. Your specific lifestyle and choices that are promoting addiction and substance abuse in your life are unique. However, due to the connection between choices and substance use, they are important to isolate and understand.
Your lifestyle and choices are commonly a result of patterns. For example, when you are stressed, you are likely to do a certain thing. Common examples include eating, venting, or exercise. These patterns can quickly be changed. When you are in recovery for addiction, they are important to change as they help you to stay on track with your recovery.
Value of Getting to the Heart of the Problem
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease. This means that while you can be treated and recover from it, you need to continue to work on your recovery long-term. Getting to the heart of the problem gives you a better chance of effectively recovering. This is due to the specific changes that you can make when you get to the heart of the problem.
In treatment, if you discover that your root causes include trauma and stress, you can make changes that help you. For example, this may include learning healthy stress management tools. Additionally, continuing to get help to heal from trauma will help. Regardless of the specifics, the more you get to the heart of the problem with addiction, the more likely you are to build skills that help you be successful in recovery from addiction.
Your root causes of addiction are unique. However, trauma, family history of substance abuse, and mental health challenges are commonly part of the puzzle. At Rancho Recovery, we understand that getting to the heart of your addiction is necessary. Therefore, we spend time getting to know you and helping you build solutions that will make a lasting impact on your life. As you go through treatment, our staff continues to make adjustments to make your treatment more effective. If you are struggling with addiction, we can help you get to the bottom of your challenges and learn to move forward. Call us today at (877) 484-1447 to learn more about our treatment options.