The cycle of addiction can be compared to riding on a Ferris
wheel, minus the fun part.
When you get on the Ferris wheel at the fair, you get into a
seat and the wheel begins slowly turning backward. It stops intermittently so other seats can be
filled. Eventually, speed increases,
moving in the backward motion toward the top.
Your palms sweat. Your heart
races. Your knees are weak. Suddenly, you
reach the top. As you look all
around at the lights and people below, you feel on top of the world. All your senses are alert and you feel so
alive. But, this is only momentary,
because the forward descent has already begun.
As the wheel turns quickly forward, your stomach drops, and you see the
ground coming toward you. Down, down you
go until the wheel stops and you can get off.
Now you must decide whether to ride again or move on to something else.
With drug addiction the scenario is much the same as what is
described above. As soon as you take the drug for the first time, you begin
going backward in life. The euphoric
effects of the drug take you to a high place where everything is enhanced or surreal
and you’d like to stay up there forever.
You feel alert, alive and on top of the world, but the high has already
begun to wear off and you start going down, down, back to reality. Now you must decide whether you want to take
the drug again or decline and move on with your life.
How can you get off the ride?
Before you began using drugs, you stood in life with your
feet firmly on the ground with a sense of purpose and hope for a wonderful
future. Somewhere along the way, though,
something happened that made you think that taking drugs would add more
excitement or take you away from your problems. As addiction takes its hold on
you, the thrill you crave is replaced by despair. You want to get off the ride, but no matter
how hard you try, you can’t get off of it on your own, Unless someone intervenes and stops the
momentum, you continue going up and down, trapped in the cycle.
The only effective way to end the cycle of addiction is to
enter a professional inpatient rehabilitation facility. In this setting, you are protected from outside
influences while addiction specialists provide the education, skills training,
support and counseling you will need for making better choices in the future in
order to avoid relapse. The counselors
are well-trained in addressing the ups and downs you experience during recovery
and they know how to apply the right amount of guidance at the right time to
help you get on a steady path.
Breaking the cycle of addiction will not be easy. You must have a strong desire to become
drug-free and remain in the program for as long as necessary to ensure your
complete recovery.
Remember the sense of adventure you felt when looking up at
the Ferris wheel and imagining the thrill of the ride? Drugs robbed you of the ability to feel those
simple pleasures. Let today be the day
you decide to reclaim your natural sense of wonder about life. Seek addiction treatment today.
Author Bio:
Myra Lemmons is a freelance writer who is currently creating
content for holistic addiction treatment websites.
She strives to educate readers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol,
and hopes to encourage addicts to seek help from professional help.
