What is drug addiction? Understanding the Causes, Cycle, and Path to Recovery

What Is Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is a condition where someone becomes unable to stop using a substance, even when it causes harm. While initial use may be a choice—like taking pain pills or drinking to relax—repeated use changes the brain. Over time, that choice becomes a compulsion.

Addiction affects the body, mind, emotions, and relationships. It often takes over every part of life. The person uses the drug to feel better—but ends up feeling worse without it.

How Addiction Begins: Pain, Discomfort, and the Search for Relief

Addiction often starts as an attempt to escape a problem. That problem may be emotional pain, stress, grief, loneliness, or physical discomfort. Sometimes, a person feels lost or doesn’t “fit in.”

For most people, the desire to feel better is what leads them to try a substance. Drugs or alcohol can create temporary relief—a sense of calm, confidence, or even euphoria. The brain takes note. That moment of relief becomes valuable, and the substance is remembered as a “solution.”

As described in The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction:

“Once the person takes the drug, he feels relief from the discomfort. Even though the relief is only temporary, the drug is adopted as a solution to the problem. This assigned value is the only reason the person ever uses drugs or drinks alcohol a second, third or more times.”

Over time, the problem may remain—or get worse—but the person keeps turning to the substance to cope. With each use, the value of the drug increases in their mind. This is how addiction quietly takes hold—not out of a desire to self-destruct, but from a very human effort to feel okay. 

Clinical Criteria for Addiction (DSM‑5)

According to the DSM‑5, addiction—called Substance Use Disorder—is diagnosed when someone shows at least two out of eleven symptoms within a year. These include:

• Cravings or strong urges to use

   

• Being unable to stop

   

• Using despite harm to health or relationships

   

• Building tolerance (needing more to get the same effect)

   

• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using 

Addiction can range from mild to severe. 
(Source: Drexel University/NIDA)

Is Addiction a Disease?

There’s ongoing debate about whether addiction should be considered a disease, a disorder, or a learned behavior. Some experts describe addiction as a chronic brain disease, where genetics and biology make a person vulnerable for life. Others believe it stems from underlying mental health issues, such as depression or trauma, and that treating those disorders will resolve the addiction.

Another theory points to chemical imbalances in the brain caused by long-term drug use—suggesting that addiction itself rewires the brain’s ability to function normally.

While all of these theories offer useful insights, none fully explain addiction for every individual. What is clear, however, is that addiction involves more than brain chemistry or diagnosis. It also involves habitual behaviors, emotional pain, poor coping skills, and deeply personal struggles.

“A review of national averages shows that addiction treatment programs based on these [disease-focused] theories result in recovery rates of just 16% to 20%.”
– The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction

Understanding addiction this way doesn’t excuse harmful behavior—but it does help explain why some people can’t “just stop,” even when they want to. Recovery often requires addressing emotional pain, physical health, lifestyle, and personal responsibility—not just masking symptoms with medication.

The Role of Trauma in Addiction

Trauma—especially in childhood—is a major driver of addiction. Many people who struggle with drug or alcohol use have experienced neglect, abuse, loss, or violence.

Drugs and alcohol offer temporary relief from emotional pain, but the root problem stays. That’s why trauma must be addressed during recovery.

Teens and adults with trauma are up to three times more likely to misuse substances.
(Sources: National Governors Association, Behavioral Health News)

Why Quitting Is So Hard

Even when someone desperately wants to stop using, addiction can feel impossible to escape. It’s not just about willpower. Over time, drugs or alcohol become the only way the person knows how to feel relief—even for a moment. Without them, the world can feel overwhelming, joyless, and painful. The body is drained. The mind is weighed down. And the heart is often full of guilt, regret, and emotional pain. Once addicted, an addict is often driven not by pleasure-seeking, but by pain and hopelessness—using just to get through another day. These struggles aren’t always visible on the outside, but they’re very real. That’s what makes quitting so hard. The next three factors—cravings, depression, and guilt—help explain why the pull of addiction is so strong, even when the person wants help.

1. Cravings: When the Body Feels Like It Needs the Drug to Survive

Drug cravings can feel as urgent and overwhelming as the need to eat or breathe. They are not just emotional desires—they are powerful physical compulsions driven by changes in brain chemistry and lingering effects of past drug use.

One often overlooked cause of cravings is the presence of drug residues stored in body fat. When a person uses drugs or alcohol repeatedly, small amounts of these substances—or their metabolites—are stored in fat cells. Later, during times of stress, intense emotion, or physical activity, the body burns fat for energy. As that fat breaks down, it releases stored residues back into the bloodstream.

According to The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction:

“When an addict’s body metabolizes fat… those metabolites will activate back into the person’s bloodstream as the fat cells burn… The effect of these metabolites… will trigger recorded memories of drug-related experiences and discomforts from the past.”

In that moment, the person may not even realize why they suddenly feel triggered or overwhelmed—but their body is reliving the physical and emotional sensations associated with past drug use. These flashback-like episodes can be powerful enough to lead directly to relapse if not addressed.

2. Depression: When the Body Breaks Down and Life Falls Apart

Depression in addiction often stems from two major sources: physical depletion and life deterioration. Long-term drug and alcohol use disrupts the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, depletes essential vitamins and minerals, and throws off hormonal balance—all of which are key to regulating mood. Over time, this physical exhaustion leads to emotional numbness, hopelessness, and deep fatigue.

At the same time, addiction damages every part of life—relationships break down, jobs are lost, health declines, and legal or financial problems pile up. These combined pressures fuel deeper depression, making it even harder to stop using.

Masking these symptoms with more drugs—prescribed or otherwise—only delays true recovery.

3. Guilt: The Emotional Trap That Fuels Addiction

Most people don’t want to hurt their loved ones. But as addiction progresses, it often leads to actions that go against a person’s core values—lying, stealing, emotional withdrawal, or manipulating those they care about. These behaviors aren’t committed out of malice, but as desperate attempts to protect the addiction or avoid confrontation.

Over time, every dishonest or harmful act is remembered. According to The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction:

“None of these acts are truly overlooked by the addict; every misdeed is committed to memory.”

These memories carry guilt—especially when triggered by seeing the people they’ve hurt or returning to the places where the harm occurred. Even small reminders can stir up deep shame. And because guilt is uncomfortable and painful, the addicted person may turn again to drugs or alcohol to numb that emotional weight.

This becomes a cruel cycle: they use substances to escape guilt, but their actions while using only create more guilt. Eventually, the addict may begin to isolate, avoid loved ones, and even push them away—not out of hatred, but out of a painful awareness of how much damage they’ve done. Guilt becomes a trap that keeps the person stuck in addiction, even when they want to stop.

The Cycle of Addiction

1. Emotional or physical pain begins. 

2. The person uses drugs to escape the pain. 

3. The brain remembers the relief and demands more. 

4. Tolerance builds. 

5. Guilt, cravings, and depression return. 

6. The cycle repeats—unless it’s interrupted by help.  

2024–2025 Drug Trends in the U.S.

• Overdose deaths dropped 27% in 2024, after years of rising rates

   

• Fentanyl remains a major threat, found in nearly 40% of drug seizures

   

• Methamphetamine use is rising, now in over 50% of samples

   

• Teen drug use is at record lows, especially for alcohol, cannabis, and vaping

   

• Dangerous synthetic drugs like “pink cocaine” (tusi) and xylazine are on the rise, often mixed into opioids. 

(Sources: CDC, NIDA, Vanity Fair, Washington Post)

Lower Numbers, But Still a National Crisis

While the drop in overdose deaths is a positive sign, it does not mean the addiction crisis is over. Over 80,000 people still died from drug overdoses in 2024 alone, according to provisional data from the CDC (CDC, 2025). Millions more live with active substance use disorders, many of them untreated.

Drugs are essentially poisons. Their strength depends on the dose: a small amount may stimulate, a larger dose can sedate or impair, and a high dose can kill. While medications may be necessary in certain medical situations, when misused—even once—they can become lethal. Many of the most commonly abused drugs (prescription opioids, sedatives, and stimulants) work by suppressing or altering vital functions in the brain and body.

A large number of overdose deaths occur in hospital emergency departments. In fact, U.S. hospitals report more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths per year, with thousands of others treated for near-fatal overdoses or life-threatening complications caused by substance use (National Institute on Drug Abuse, CDC).

Even with more access to naloxone and better emergency responses, the addiction epidemic remains one of the leading public health crises in the country.

Recovery Without Trading One Drug for Another

Some rehab centers use medications like Suboxone or antidepressants. While that can be helpful short-term, many people recover fully using non-drug-based treatment that heals the body and mind naturally. Many conventional drug treatment approaches rely on medication to suppress cravings or mood symptoms.

But as noted in The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction,

“What has not proven effective is substitute drug treatment… These medications prevent the addict from developing the life skills necessary to restore moral values and quality of life.”

Effective drug-free recovery methods include:

• Nutritional support to restore the brain’s natural chemistry

   

• Detox programs without medication that help the body eliminate toxins

   

• Counseling and life skills training to rebuild confidence

   

• Sober coaching and peer support for ongoing accountability

   

• Trauma-informed therapy to resolve the underlying pain

   

  “Many programs treat addiction like a chronic disease or prescribe medications to mask emotional symptoms. But true recovery requires rebuilding the person—physically, emotionally, and ethically.”

  “Unless the addict restores self-respect and responsibility, relapse becomes almost inevitable.” 

Detoxification: Clearing the Body to Start the Healing Process

Detoxification is the first step in recovery. It helps a person safely eliminate drugs from the body and begin to stabilize. But it’s important to understand that what’s often called “detox” is really withdrawal management—helping the body cope with the physical symptoms that come from suddenly stopping drug or alcohol use.

For certain substances, withdrawal can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Medical detox is essential for individuals withdrawing from:

• Alcohol

   

• Benzodiazepines (like Xanax, Valium, Ativan)

   

• Barbiturates

   

• Opioids (including heroin and prescription painkillers, especially with heavy or long-term use)

   

• Synthetic drugs or cases involving polysubstance abuse

   

In these cases, medical supervision ensures vital signs are monitored and complications are managed. However, the process doesn’t end there.

True detoxification means more than just enduring withdrawal. Many drugs leave behind toxic residues that settle into fatty tissues and linger in the body. These residues can trigger cravings, mood swings, and mental fog long after the initial withdrawal ends.

Natural detox programs aim to go deeper—supporting the body in flushing out these toxins through proper nutrition, hydration, supplementation, and in some cases, sauna therapy under professional supervision. This approach helps restore energy, mental clarity, and chemical balance—giving the person a stronger foundation for lasting recovery, without relying on more medications. 

Treatment Options After Detox

After detox, most people need rehab. Choosing the right program depends on their addiction history and support system.

• Outpatient rehab works well for those with stable housing and strong family involvement

   

• Short-term inpatient rehab lasts 3–6 weeks and treats many forms of addiction

   

• Long-term rehab (90 days or more) helps people with chronic relapse or deep-rooted issues 

When Professional Help Is the Turning Point

Sometimes, no matter how much a family pleads or how obvious the damage has become, the person struggling with addiction still refuses help. This is where working with our trained interventionist can make all the difference. At Newman Intervention and Recovery Solutions, our professionals guide families through a structured process that encourages a loved one to accept treatment—often when all other efforts have failed.

An intervention is not about blame or confrontation. It’s about hope, clarity, and giving someone a safe path forward—often before it’s too late.

Learn how a structured intervention approach to confronting addiction can open the door to recovery. 

When Your Loved One Refuses Help

It’s hard to watch someone you love self-destruct. But intervention works. A professional interventionist can guide your family through the process of helping a loved one say “yes” to treatment.

Learn more about intervention services and how they can help your family.

Assessing Addiction and Getting Help

An addiction assessment is a simple process to determine:

• The severity of the addiction

   

• What kind of detox is needed

   

• What program fits best

   

Assessments are available in person or by phone and can be your first step toward healing.

Final Thoughts: Hope Is Real

Addiction doesn’t define you—or your loved one. With the right help, healing is possible. Many people go on to live happy, drug-free lives after addiction.

If you’re looking for real change, you’re in the right place.