Three Common Addictions That Are Difficult To Quit
When you think of it, almost all addictions are difficult to quit. This is why they are called addictions. If they were easy to quit, we wouldn’t be here discussing them.
However, given below is a three of seven addictions that are considered among the most difficult to quit. This is because they affect our brain in a way that it becomes very hard to move on.
Without further ado, let’s have a look.
- Cocaine
This is the least addictive on the list. Cocaine was once used only by celebrities, but it quickly found its way to the general public and is now among one of the most common addictions around the world.
According to a research by Ronald Siegel, most cocaine addicts are successful in quitting this habit, but it can relapse like most other addictions. However, the success rate is quite high. According to the same research, only about 10% of all cocaine addicts fail to quit the addiction after reasonable tries.
The use of cocaine was very high in the 80s, but most high end users were able to quit this addiction. But sadly, a lot of them turned to other options, including #2 on this list.
- Alcohol
Alcohol is the most common addiction on this list, but it is not that difficult to overcome. However, it may not be possible without treatment, according to some reports.
There are many organizations at addictiontosobriety.com that help people overcome alcohol addiction. Such organizations are very important because a lot of former addicts swear that they could not overcome this addiction without professional help. But we also have some who have been able to quit this addiction without any outside help. The same was proven in a research by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The organization conducted a research in 2005 with the name National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, also called NESARC. The research focused on 43,000 individuals who were interviewed to know more about their addiction (alcohol).
Out of them, about 10% agreed to have been badly addicted to alcohol at some point in time, and only about 33% of those accepted to have taken some kind of professional help. However, the good thing is that less than 33% of all who were interviewed and were addicted at one time were still drinking alcohol, but none of them classified themselves as addicts.
This proves that professional treatment is not important to overcome alcohol, but it definitely helps. With a professional by your side, you can speed up the process and also decrease the risk of a relapse.
- Valium
Valium is a drug that is very common in the medical world. This prescription drug is generally used to pacify individuals that are depressed and is to be taken over a long period of time.
The same holds true for some other medications as well including tranquilizers, sedatives and sleeping pills. They all do the same thing and have the power to control our brain, which may get used to having a specific drug.
Many people have written about their dependence on Valium and other similar drugs. Scientifically known as benzodiazepine tranquilizers, the drug was covered in detail by Barbara Gordon in I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can where she covered her battle with her addiction. However, she isn’t the only one as other popular figures such as Betty Ford and Jim Jensen have also publicly talked about their addiction.
While we cannot completely ban Valium since it was introduced to help the mankind, but we have to control its consumption. Valium withdrawal can be very painful and can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental health.
If you or anyone close to you is an addict, make sure to make a move today and overcome addiction to live a healthy and happy life.