The Stages of Addiction Recovery: What to Expect

At its heart, a substance use disorder is a complex, chronic condition that can impact all aspects of your life and put your well-being at risk. If you’re suffering from a substance use disorder, a vital step to healing is beginning an addiction recovery program. 

Starting treatment can be stressful, especially if you’re not sure what to expect from the process. Here’s what you need to know about the different stages of recovery and what they can involve. 

Awareness and Acknowledgement

Perhaps the most crucial of the stages of recovery is the understanding that you have a problem. This involves acknowledging that things aren’t working and honestly taking account of the ways that addiction has impacted the various aspects of your life. 

The awareness stage isn’t necessarily a linear process. You may initially recognize that you might have a problem but delay accepting that you need help. 

Once you work through denial, it’s time to find the right program and begin your active recovery. You have a variety of options to consider.  

Choosing a program can depend on many factors, including whether you can take time to fully immerse yourself in the process. There are residential programs that make this possible, as well as outpatient options that can help those who have job and family responsibilities they can’t set aside.  

The Detoxification Process

The next of the recovery stages is detoxification. Many people are apprehensive about this process because of how the body can struggle to adjust to functioning without alcohol or drugs. To understand the detox process, it’s first important to know how addiction can impact your entire system.

“Alcohol and drug use can cause a tremendous release of endorphins, strengthening the association between substance use and pleasure.”

Drugs and alcohol tend to flood your brain’s reward center with endorphins. This reward center encourages behaviors that bring you pleasure and that are essential for survival, like eating, being social, and having sex. All of these activities can prompt the release of moderate levels of feel-good chemicals, including dopamine. 

Alcohol and drug use can cause a tremendous release of endorphins, strengthening the association between substance use and pleasure. This encourages you to repeat the experience. The more you do so, however, the more your brain’s circuits begin to adjust to those floods of endorphins. 

In this way, your body is essentially building tolerance, leading you to need more of the substance to feel the same surge of pleasure. That also means, however, that if you abruptly stop using drugs or alcohol, your body doesn’t remember how to function correctly. This is what leads to withdrawal symptoms. 

Each type of substance causes its own withdrawal symptoms, but common ones include:

• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Flu-like symptoms
• Palpitations
• Shaking
• Fatigue
• Depression

Typically, symptoms peak at around 72 hours after the last substance was used, but many factors can influence this timeline, as well as impact how severe your symptoms are. You will likely feel the opposite effect of the substance your body is dependent on. For example, if you have an opioid addiction, your withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, agitation, and insomnia. 

Most treatment programs offer medical detox, which helps to blunt the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. This not only makes the entire process overall a bit easier, but it also helps curb your cravings, making it more likely that you’ll stick with recovery. 

Early Recovery

Once you’ve completed the detox process, treatment can begin in earnest. Your recovery may involve a variety of therapeutic options, including behavioral therapies, to help you understand the underlying cause of the addiction. 

If you have a co-occurring mental health concern, individual therapy sessions can also address that condition. Because addiction and mental health conditions feed off one another, it’s essential to treat both at the same time.  

“Addiction can impact all of those around you, causing distress and shattering trust.”

You may also participate in group therapy sessions. This step is important, too, because it gives you a chance to share support with others who understand what you’re going through firsthand.

Family therapy is another vital part of the early recovery process. Addiction can impact all of those around you, causing distress and shattering trust. By working with a therapist to rebuild that trust, you can mend the damage that substance use disorders may have wreaked on your life and the lives of those you love. 

During the early recovery process, you’ll learn coping strategies to help you better manage triggers. This is a key aspect of recovery, since knowing how to work through difficult emotions without relying on substances is what can promote long-term sobriety. 

Maintenance and Long-Term Recovery

The work isn’t over once you’re sober. Because addiction is chronic and relapse is possible, you must actively reinforce your sobriety every day. Even people who have years of recovery under their belts have days when they struggle. 

Keep in mind that relapsing is a common part of the recovery process. Often, someone who relapses will feel as though all of the work they did was useless, but that’s not the case. Relapsing is a stumble on the road to long-term sobriety. You have to right yourself and keep going. 

One of the most important things that you can do to help yourself through the challenges that you’ll face once you complete treatment is to build a support system you can rely on for the long term. You don’t have to handle addiction recovery alone. 

By joining 12-step groups or similar programs, you can find help that is available if you’re struggling with cravings or going through an emotionally triggering time. It’s also essential to get a sponsor. Sponsors are people who have been sober for a longer period and who can offer support when you most need it. 

If your home situation isn’t safe for your sobriety, you may want to consider sober living facilities. These facilities allow you to live in a home where everyone is actively engaged in their recovery. 

Start Your Journey Toward Sobriety at SoberMind Recovery

Beginning any journey can cause anxiety, and that’s very much the case if you’re trying to break free from the hold that addiction has on your life. It’s vital that you take that first step and ask for help. With the right support, you can reconnect with who you were before you suffered from addiction. 

At SoberMind Recovery, we offer both residential and outpatient programs to help those who are battling substance use disorders. We also provide dual-diagnosis treatment in Los Angeles. If you’re searching for a more supportive living space after treatment, we can connect you with LGBTQ sober living facilities as well. 

You don’t have to struggle alone. Our compassionate team of professionals can help you find your path toward healing. Call us at 818-885-9268, or contact us online to learn more about how we can help you overcome addiction today.