The Cycle of Addiction

The Cycle of Addiction has become one of the most widely-used tools in addiction intervention.

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.

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Here's Addiction in a Nutshell

Addiction is a characteristic of the individual, not of the substance or the activity. It is a result of the way in which a person perceives life. 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, etc...

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A Phase by Phase Breakdown of the Cycle of Addiction

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 below.)

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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. (From DSM-IV: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. See this page for more.) 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 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. (See also A Sense of Security below.) As a result, wariness begins to evaporate, fears dissipate and inhibitions begin to drop away.

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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.

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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.

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The Experience of Addiction

The main characteristic of the effect desired by an addicted individual is the reduction or elimination of anguish or distress. (This is easily seen in the Cycle of Addiction as illustrated on this page.) These painful sentiments can be due to the stress associated with a situation - where you are in your life - or with a feeling of incompetence in that situation - who you believe yourself to be.

This diagram illustrates the progression towards addiction

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In the long run, as addicted individuals, you or I would see our situation deteriorate or become aggravated. We would also feel less and less competent or able to effectively resolve problems. Consequently, we would be less and less able to face or anticipate problems. We would resort more and more to our substance of choice to avoid or escape from returning anguish. The diagram at right illustrates this prelude to addiction.

You and I have thus become subjected to the emotional and psychological experiences or effects obtained through the ingestion of substances.

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The Viciousness of the Cycle of Addiction

The cornerstone of Stanton Peele's addiction theory (which, by the by, is wholeheartedly endorsed by the intervention community) is the personal and social incompetency resulting from the adoption of addictive behaviors. The result for the addicted individual is a negative self-image and low or very weak self-esteem.

The root cause of your addiction can be found in the fact that you are fearful to some degree of life and feel incapable of facing it adequately alone. You have subjected yourself to psychotropic substances because they attenuate your psychological and emotional pain - a result of your perception of difficulty or hardship.

The vicious trap of addiction is that those same substances also reduce your capacity to effectively deal with that pain and hardship.

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A Sense of Security

A person with addictive tendencies is essentially passive. Hold on, I'm not accusing you of being lazy; please bear with me and read on. The passiveness is in relation to - and results from - the person's fearful attitudes and outlook on life. These attitudes, perceptions and tendencies express themselves in different individuals in different ways (feel free to add your own to the short list below). These attitudes can easily replace the word "anxiety" at the top of the Cycle of Addiction as illustrated on this page.

• fear of the unknown
• fear of change
• exaggerated fear of failure
• self-doubt & questioning of abilities
• doubt as to whether the desired result will be achieved
• procrastination & negligence
• capitulation or flight in the face of difficulty
• etc...

No matter the attitude with which you identify yourself, your addiction of choice (substance or activity) guarantees you a predictable and rapid effect. Rather than confronting that which you fear, you resort to a form of instant gratification; the outcome of which is foreseeable. Faced with uncertainty or the probability of failure, you choose the security of a relationship with guaranteed results. (See also this section of the Definition of Addiction.)

Yes, addiction is a relationship; it's a relationship with your life. Your addiction to a substance or an activity (or even the relationship with another human being; affective dependency) occupies your time and structures your life. It provides reassuring rituals and helps identify you.

Those are some of the secondary gains of addiction. It is precisely these gains - or advantages - that result from addictive actions and choices that can make it so darned difficult to break the cycle of addiction.

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Additional Characteristics

A person - you or I - can become more or less addicted according to how much we allow our habitual use of substances - or recourse to activities - to control our lives. We can identify addiction in our lives when

• certain habits take center stage (over-investing in dependent tendencies to the detriment of other activities)
• the habitual recourse to substances or activities is no longer a pleasurable experience but is used to temporarily suppress undesired feelings: sadness, depressiveness, anxiety, guilt, hostility, etc...
• in any given circumstances, and fully aware of the consequences, we always react in the same fashion and always make the same choices.

To be addicted is to deprive oneself of options; to deprive oneself of the power to choose. Without choice, there can be no decision and... without decision, there can be no change.

When the relief of pain, of suffering or of a mal-de-vivre, is associated with or linked to an activity (drugs, gambling, food, sex, shopping...), you have become subjugated and have entered into your own cycle of addiction.

I believe that, having read this page on the cycle of addiction, you can agree that addiction is a very powerful, although illusory, source of satisfaction or gratification. You can now understand that whatever replaces your addictive activities in a healthier manner must provide you with an equal, if not superior, sense of satisfaction.

Ready for your next step? Click the link below.

Go to Breaking the Cycle of Addiction