Addiction is a disease of mind, body and spirit. Accordingly, sustaining sobriety requires one to attend to one’s psychological/emotional, physiological, and spiritual needs. It also entails curtailing self destructive behaviors and managing external and internal triggers that can potentially de-stabilize one’s psychological, physiological and spiritual well-being.
Dynamic psychotherapy with a seasoned addiction specialist, paired with strong 12 step support can offer a positive prognosis with keeping one’s addiction in full sustained remission.
Nevertheless, there are many factors which can contribute to an addiction relapse into addictive behavior after long periods of sobriety. From a psychological perspective, addiction is classified as an attachment disorder. Ruptures in bonding, often due to early neglect and abuse, create a sense of painful fragmentation within the self that is temporarily masked through addiction.
Hence, it is imperative for the addict to form lasting meaningful connections that offer cohesion, trust and meaning. Critical losses that catapult the addict in recovery into a fragile grief stricken place can awaken early fragmentation and separation and trigger isolatory behavior as well as co-dependent or counter-dependent relatedness. These relational patterns can contribute to an eventual addiction relapse into addictive behavior.
Also, concurrent mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and in more extreme cases, psychosis, can complicate sustained sobriety. The limbic system, which is already compromised by the biochemical alterations from chemicals and other addictive behaviors is further exacerbated by concurrent psychiatric disorders.
The destabilization of one’s limbic system due to external stressors and difficulties with stabilizing concurrent disorders may also lead to eventual addiction relapse into addictive behavior, if psychopharmacology and psychological and emotional supports are not effectively utilized.
Lastly, a crisis in faith and meaning can activate a nihilistic state in the addict who endeavors to regain a sense of illusory control by acting out his or her sense of helplessness and hopelessness. This progressive stance of defiance can eventually lead to moral deterioration and an addiction relapse into addictive behavior.
The quest to sustain long term sobriety is fraught with complexity and necessitates courage and vigilence. The reality for the addict is that a comprehensive recovery program which focuses on the the three-fold aspects of addiction can only contribute to a positive prognosis for remission, it cannot guarantee it.
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