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Understanding the Cycle of Addiction can be invaluable to visualize the various emotional and psychological phases an addicted individual such as you or I might go through.

As addiction essentially develops from ineffective or inappropriately targeted problem-solving abilities, knowledge of this cycle can provide essential insight into your weaknesses… and what you can do to strengthen them.

Addiction is a kind of symbiotic relationship between the characteristics of the individual, the effect of the substance or activity, the environment and the context in which the substance is consumed (or the activity practiced). It is a result of the way in which a person perceives life and reacts to that perception. Addiction can exist whether the person – in this case, you or me – resorts to substance use or to any other behavior that may have nothing at all to do with psychotropic drugs.

To become addicted is to relinquish, little by little, any degree of control of your life to something external from your self. In other words, the more dependency takes root, the greater the loss of both self-control and self-management, and the deeper the addiction. This applies to a dependency upon psychoactive substances as well as gambling, overeating, “workoholism”, sports and physical activities, compulsive shopping or spending, sexuality, surfing the ‘net, etc…

Take a good look at the simplified diagram of the cycle of addiction above (click the image to enlarge it). You’ll notice that it illustrates only the emotions, attitudes and behavior of an individual who is presently addicted to… something. This diagram does not depict the progression towards addiction, nor the all-important “how to break the cycle”… we’ll get to that later on. For now, let’s examine the various phases illustrated in that diagram, and see where we fit in.

Phase 1 – Cycle Trigger
This is the entry point into the Cycle of Addiction. Although anxiety is quoted in the illustration above, the trigger could conceivably be any emotion, feeling, sentiment, idea, thought, fear, desire, unfulfilled need, situation, circumstance, event, etc… (or combination thereof) that an individual believes to be unmanageable without his/her addiction of choice.

Phase 2 – Ingestion of Substance
Once convinced of his/her powerlessness in any situation described in the previous phase, the response for an addicted individual is quite simply ingestion (or inhalation, injection, etc.) in order to evoke the following phases. As the addiction progresses over time, it is this pragmatic knowledge of the benefits to come that brings the individual to develop an automatic response to the difficulties noted above. (In cases where the addiction is to something other than psychoactive substances, this phase represents the activity associated with that particular addiction.)

Phase 3 – Relief
The initial effect obtained immediately following ingestion (or activity) is usually precisely what the individual seeks: relief from the stress, pressure and/or pain associated with – and often believed to be caused by – the situation identified in the trigger phase. (See also The Viciousness of the Cycle of Addiction.)

Phase 4 – Euphoria
Although a certain subset of so-called recreational drugs exhibits the ability to chemically induce a state of physiological euphoria, the term is used here to indicate an exaggerated feeling of physical and emotional well-being, usually of psychological origin. (See this page for more about euphoria.) More to the point, those of us who claim to experience a state of euphoria in their cycle of addiction often describe it as “an intense, transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of well being.” (At least, that’s how I used to describe it; what’s your definition?)

Phase 5 – Reduction of Pain
A perfectly natural consequence of euphoria is a perceived reduction of pain. Whether chemically induced or psychosomatic Info icon in origin, the resultant increase in the brain’s dopamine and endorphin production enhances the sense of both physical and psychological well-being. This is one of the most viciously perverse aspects of the cycle of addiction as, in comparison to the state of affairs as noted in the trigger phase, you or I would be feeling pretty good right about now.

Phase 6 – Reduction of Anxiety
Relief and a heightened sense of well-being give rise to the unrealistic belief that what I am doing is helping me. This belief creates a false sense of security. As a result, wariness begins to evaporate, fears dissipate and inhibitions begin to drop away.

Phase 7 – Improved Social Exchanges
With the relative reduction of inhibition comes a returning sense of self-confidence. This prompts contact with other human beings and socialization. It is during this phase of the cycle of addiction that an individual buys into the idea that (your substance here) is necessary in order to initiate or maintain an atmosphere of camaraderie. It doesn’t take long for the substance – or activity – to become a required element of every social ritual.

Phase 8 – Feeling of Power
Initially convinced of powerlessness during the trigger and ingestion phases, you or I would now begin to believe we have a certain degree of control over our situation. This gives rise to a feeling of powerfulness and / or the idea that I can accomplish great things in this state. Of course, this new belief & conviction (read: illusory esteem and sense of self-worthiness) are both direct results of the build-up of the phases following ingestion.

Phase 9 – Dissolution of Limits
Deluded now by a temporary lack of inhibition and feelings of power, our perception and respect of established limits rapidly disintegrate. It is at this stage of the cycle of addiction that we commit bold acts. These could range anywhere from innocuous advances or flirting with people to whom we feel a physical attraction, to armed robbery or physical violence.

Phase 10 – Reduction of Effect
Eventually, the effects of the substance or activity begin to wear off and to dissipate. The euphoria is quite simply gone and we begin to feel ill at ease. A sense of insecurity builds and we question the validity of our choices and actions. Guilt and shame make themselves felt as remonstrations and recriminations echo in our minds.

Phase 11 – Problem Recognition
Worry begins to gnaw its way into our thoughts and a feeling of worthlessness takes hold. We realize that the problems we tried to flee, escape or hide from are still there. We come to realize (yet maybe not quite admit to ourselves) that our negligence, procrastination and irresponsibility have exacerbated those problems. What’s even worse is that our behavior during the previous phase(s) has more than likely created new ones.

Phase 12 – Stress
The recognition of enduring problems, the identification of new ones and the returning conviction of powerlessness to change or improve things fuse with a progressively heightened awareness of the consequences we will have to face as a result of our choices and actions. This creates a very stressful state indeed. We ultimately come to believe – again – that the situation can only be managed with the help of…

And round and round we go in the endless cycle of addiction. Unless… See Breaking the Cycle of Addiction.

But first, let’s look at some of the Characteristics of Addiction, and the viciousness of the cycle.