Addiction and relapse are known to complement each other in most people around the world. People who do drugs and other substances generally get addicted and relapse several times before they eventually succeed in gaining their grip on the situation.

But why is this mostly the case with addicts? Why do most people have to get addicted, relapse, get addicted again and relapse several other times before finally succeeding to rid themselves of their addiction?

The drug problem

To be able to tell why people make several attempts before they finally leave addiction, it is important to note why many people get addicted in the first place. Statistics show that in America, drug dealers do not consider the age or identity of whoever they’re dealing with. Consequently, it has become easier for children to access illegal drugs. In fact, an article published in the Huffington Post notes that children access illegal drugs much easier than legal ones.

With such staggering information, it becomes easy to understand why the drug business is huge in America. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 9.3 percent of the American population aged 12 and above have needed some sort of rehabilitation since 2009. But think about this… Would drug businesses continue to be in business if patients did not keep relapsing? Certainly not. So the drug dealers themselves do everything possible to ensure that people continue to become addicts, and those who try to quit, relapse.

It’s all in the brain

The human brain has key roles to play in addiction and relapse. Addiction starts and ends in the brain and so does the process of relapsing. When you start getting too familiar with a drug or other substance, your brain easy adapts to this new dispensation. Unfortunately, reversing the familiarity with the new drug or substance takes quite some time. And since it is easier to get accustomed to a drug or substance compared to leaving it, people who make attempts to quit easily relapse.  

In a nutshell, the main reason why addiction and relapse go hand in hand for most people is that the brain easily adapts to a new lifestyle of addiction, but needs time to heal from such a lifestyle. And while people may feel ashamed of their addiction, it is important to note that anybody can fall prey to the scourge. The important thing to focus on is how you can take up the challenge to resist the temptations when you make up your mind to quit.