Important life decisions can be hard for anyone. So often, each of our options has major pros and cons. But, when people are struggling with addiction, tough choices can become much tougher.
Addictive substances can change what a person values the most. When the human brain is exposed to such chemicals, it starts to prioritize them above all else.
As a result, other decision-making factors are greatly diminished. Career goals, long-term financial planning, the best interests of family members — all of those considerations can seem insignificant compared to drug or alcohol cravings.
Addiction and the Brain’s Reward Center
Imagine that, a few months ago, you decided to seek a job promotion. And, to achieve that goal, you took night classes, worked longer hours, and took on new professional responsibilities.
After a while, your supervisors started to appreciate your efforts, and they promoted you.
As soon as you earned that promotion, your brain probably released a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is, in many cases, a reward for good behavior. Your brain was proud that you made the right decision, worked hard for it, and attained your goal.
That dosage of dopamine made you feel satisfied. Moreover, it motivated you to set constructive new goals for yourself. And so your positive decision-making continued.
One tragedy of drugs and alcohol, however, is that they can overwhelm the brain’s reward system.
As such, these substances can trigger the brain to release a flood of dopamine — about 10 times as much as it would normally release at any one time. As a result, a person feels not just satisfaction but true euphoria.
Later on, the person will likely have a powerful — perhaps overpowering — desire for more euphoria. Indeed, obtaining more drugs or alcohol might now be their main mission in life. Therefore, their decision-making processes would revolve around their addiction.
For example, instead of planning their future finances prudently, they might simply wonder how they could get enough money to buy more drugs. They might withdraw from their savings account, or they might sell some of their prized possessions.
Other Factors That Impede Decision-Making
In addition to skewed priorities, addiction can cause other psychological issues that keep a person from making better decisions:
Impulsivity
The front part of the brain — which, by the way, isn’t fully developed until age 25 or so — is responsible for logical decision-making. It’s called the prefrontal cortex.
Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol can attack the prefrontal cortex. That makes it hard for someone to think rationally — let alone make the best decision possible. Thus, people who are battling an addiction often make rash choices.
Emotional Instability
Because substance misuse can “rewire” the brain’s neural pathways, it can lead to emotional instability. That is, people who struggle with addiction often process their emotions differently.
Oftentimes, they have to deal with a roller coaster of emotions. They might experience sudden mood swings. And they might suffer from irritability, anxiety, or paranoia.
Moreover, their emotional responses might sometimes be too extreme. For example, maybe they’d break down in tears if a coworker gently corrected them about something. Or perhaps they’d erupt in fury if a family member made an innocent mistake like forgetting to take out the trash.
Emotional instability can be a major obstacle to sound decision-making. It can even cause people to make decisions out of anger or fear. For instance, someone might decide to withdraw socially because they’re afraid of other people judging them.
Denial and Avoidance
When people have an addiction, they’re often in denial about it. They might refuse to acknowledge that they’re using drugs or alcohol. Or they might tell themselves they’re fully in control of their substance usage.
Furthermore, when people are in denial about addiction, they might avoid confrontations with other people at all costs. If someone were to ever raise the subject, they’d try to deflect, changing the topic at once. And, if anyone kept bringing up their addiction, they might cut off all contact with that person.
Of course, if people are to make the right decision in any given situation, they must understand and accept reality. Denial always confuses and clouds a decision-making process.
Toxic Relationships
To make good choices, it helps to have caring people around you. After all, no matter your circumstances, it’s easy to lose perspective when you’re making difficult decisions.
When you discuss a big decision with someone you trust, that person could help you see your options in a new light. With an outsider’s fresh and unbiased outlook, everything might become clearer.
Sadly, many people who struggle with an addiction lack such relationships. Maybe they’ve pushed their friends and family members away. And maybe their new “friends” don’t really care about them at all. Those people might be selling them drugs or enabling — even encouraging — their substance abuse.
Steps to Making a Hard Decision While in Addiction
If you’re currently dealing with an addiction, you should know that making a hard decision is not impossible.
Yes, it will probably be a challenge. However, by breaking your decision-making down into the following steps, it should be more manageable and more fruitful:
1. Acknowledge the Situation Honestly
For sure, it takes courage to accept the need for change. But, by doing so, you can get out of your comfort zone and make the bold moves needed to reclaim your life.
2. Identify Fears and Mental Barriers
Ask yourself: Why have you avoided making necessary changes recently? If it helps, try to make a list of everything that could be holding you back.
That list might include a fear of rejection, a fear of failure, or a fear of facing daily life without drugs or alcohol to help you cope.
3. Gather Support
You could always call, text, email, or visit people you trust, and you could let them know what you’re going through.
You might be surprised how eager your friends and family members are to lend their support — especially those who’ve successfully battled addiction in the past. And, of course, you could reach out to people you’ve never met before, such as therapists and support groups.
4. Weigh the Consequences
Look at all the options you have, and think about how they could affect your life over the next 12 months and over the next 10 years. By considering short-term and long-term consequences, it might become easier to make crucial decisions.
5. Take Small Steps
By breaking a big decision into smaller, more manageable actions, you’ll reduce your stress level. You may feel more powerful as well.
For example, if you were deciding which new home to move into, your smaller actions might include visiting each residence, checking out each neighborhood, and reviewing your financing options with your bank.
Each time you complete a step, you’ll feel like you’ve really accomplished something!
6. Trust the Process
When it comes to implementing life changes, everyone experiences setbacks and disappointments. Keep in mind that recovery is about progress, not perfection.
Seeking Help and Support for Decision-Making
In all of this, remember that professional addiction treatment is always available.
How Treatment Professionals Can Help
With evidence-based solutions and personalized care, treatment professionals can help you overcome chemical cravings. They could also assist you in navigating the difficult choices that will improve your own life, career, and personal relationships. Addiction often clouds judgment, making even an easy decision feel like one of the toughest decisions.
During therapy and counseling sessions, you could gain guidance in processing your emotions and narrowing down your choices, especially when faced with hard choices. This support helps to combat indecision and move beyond simply wanting a ” right answer”. It’s about developing strong problem solving skills. And, in support group meetings, you could hear from others who’ve faced similar decision-making struggles, understanding that there’s rarely a perfect solution, and that sometimes, there is no purely “good decision” or “wrong decision”, but rather a path chosen with the best information at hand.
Plus, with the help of tools like journaling and mindfulness, you’d be able to reflect carefully on your important decision instead of acting impulsively or based on hidden biases. Professionals can help you avoid the urge to simply “flip a coin” when faced with difficult situations, and instead help you become better decision-makers.
Recreate Behavioral Health
As a final note, if you live in or near Boca Raton, Fla., Recreate Behavioral Health is an ideal choice for your addiction treatment needs.
This center offers each patient effective, personalized, and proven solutions for overcoming substance abuse. And its dedicated medical staff has created an environment that’s friendly, inclusive, inviting, and supportive in every way.
To get started with a treatment program, contact Recreate Behavioral Health today.
