Why is It So Hard to Quit Drugs?

To say it’s hard to quit drugs is like saying the earth is round. True, yes. But the statement nowhere near encompasses the enormity of that truth. Then again, if drugs were easy to quit we wouldn’t have addicts. And we most certainly wouldn’t need addiction treatment centers.

But it’s not just hard to quit drugs; it’s one of the hardest things for anyone to do. Ever. Why? Because drugs take over the mind. Drugs take over the body. And drugs take over the soul. Drugs also take over the emotions. How? By re-wiring the brain to fit a substance’s particular parameters. And once that’s done, all hell breaks loose.

NIDA Knows Why Drugs Are So Hard to Quit

We at Healing Properties love the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). How could we not? In fact, how could anyone in addiction treatment not love NIDA? The federal agency is informative. It’s helpful. And it cares. It also acts as a clearing house for the best and the brightest substance abuse research in the country, not to mention the most promising advances in addiction treatment.

NIDA also knows how to sum up a sometimes deadly situation in the span of a single video. And it knows how to do so in an often hopeful and the rather entertaining way at that. The agency’s following Hard to Quit Drugs video clip is no exception. Sure, it falls under the category of addiction science. But it’s about as STEM as a cartoon. In fact, it is a cartoon. And a remarkably enlightening one to boot.

Take two minutes and check it out:

Can You Quit Drugs?

Can you ever really quit drugs? Yes and No. If you’re ready, willing and eager to fully commit to an effective recovery program, the answer is a resounding Yes. If you think you can go it alone, well, then the answer is a lowly No. Nobody quits drugs without help. Nobody. Not for good anyway. And quitting drugs for good is what it’s all about. And that takes considerable help.

By help we mean an effective addiction treatment center for one. Not just some fly-by-night that’s more interested in bodies than it is in lives. But a bona fide, honest-to-goodness rehab that’s at once steeped in recovery and sworn to help others.*

We also mean the 12 Steps. Whether it’s AA, NA, CA or any other kind of Anonymous program matters not. Just so long as it adheres to the guidelines and principles set forth in AA’s Big Book. Why? Because that particular screed has helped untold millions achieve long-term sobriety. And we don’t argue with that sort of success rate.

Help also means friends, as well as family. The friends you make in recovery will forever provide strong sober support. They’ll be the ones you call when you’re restless, irritable and discontent. They’ll also be the ones who come calling if they suspect you may be slipping. Beyond that though, these new friends will be there to share in the great good glory of your recovery.

The very truest of your old friends will be right alongside you too. And so will your family. Any- and everyone who stuck by you throughout your battle with addiction, will be more than happy to help you along in your recovery. In fact, they’ll be proud to do so. Just as they will be proud of you.

And just as you will be proud of yourself. Yeah, we know. You probably haven’t been proud of yourself in quite some time. You most likely had no reason to be. That’s okay. Actually, it’s better than okay. Because now you can experience being proud without any clouds getting in the way. And just wait till you experience the kind of proud that comes from living a steadfast and upright day-by-day.

*Healing Properties has been helping men achieve long-term sobriety since 2002.