What is Addiction?

Addiction is addiction is addiction! This is a common statement heard throughout the field of social work and addiction recovery, but what does it really mean? For many, this is a difficult concept to accept, as most people distinguish heroin use from shopping, given the life-threatening implications involved in the use of such a physically addictive substance. What this actually means is that all addiction is the symptom of an underlying condition, and if we treat the symptom only, the problem will keep coming back.  

In actual fact the most important question to ask when looking to find the answer to what an addiction is, is what isn't an addiction. Because what it isn't is actually the problem you have to worry about. Yes, the addictive lifestyle has created numerous problems in your life. However, the addictive lifestyle is this solution to the underlying problems you are struggling with. It is essential to come to this realization about any addiction you are looking to change.

At The Liberation Place we believe that each and every addiction we work with is the individual, unique coping mechanism for emotional disturbance, and a subconscious desire to escape from a perceived situation causing stress. This is often as a result of trauma, and whether we are working with such life-threatening substances as heroin, cocaine, alcohol, or crystal meth, or life-destroying processes like gambling, working, internet pornography or video games, the content of the recovery process may be slightly different but the context is always the same.

The underlying issues that kick start "using" are always as a result of either a physical, habitual, or emotional trigger, and developing an understanding of the core issues leading into the trigger is imperative in implementing a recovery approach. The BioPsychoSocial model requires us to develop a good understanding of why the addiction exists in your life, or in the life of a loved one, and it can be the necessary information required at the start of the epic journey to recovery. 

Understanding the phases of addiction, the stages of change, and the triggers that lead to a relapse behaviour will begin to provide the motivation for change in your life. However, change can be a very scary thing, so we advise you to spend some time researching the information to be found in the pages of our website, or any of the external resources offered to you, in preparation for the choices you are about to make.

Our hope from this is to build your knowledge about addiction, the different types and phases of use, and the many different treatment modalities available to you today. All of this will allow you to make an informed decision about your future actions and empower you to feel confident in the choices you make once again.