Initially, to answer this question, it is necessary to specify what type of addiction or problematic use we are referring to. That is, whether we are discussing a substance or a behavior.
Substance Addiction Recovery
If we are talking about a substance, we must first consider its physical withdrawal symptoms. In most cases, these do not exceed a few weeks and vary depending on the substance, ranging from mild (headache or irritability) to more severe (fever, tremors).
Behavioral Addiction Recovery
If we are talking about a behavior, it does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms upon cessation, but we need to consider the psychological withdrawal symptoms, which are sometimes experienced as more difficult than the physical ones.
Psychological withdrawal symptoms, which naturally occur in substance addiction as well as behavioral addictions, are the co-dependent stimuli that have been associated with that substance or behavior. These are all the stimuli, contexts, and people that our brain has associated with the substance or behavior.
For example, someone trying to quit smoking finds it particularly difficult when going out for coffee with friends, as they used to smoke more in that setting.
The Shift Caused by Recovery
Beyond physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, if we look at the deeper psychological level, every attempt at recovery constitutes a psychological shift of the individual from a familiar and known world (that of the substance or behavior) to an unfamiliar and unknown world (that of cessation or negotiation).
This shift is an entire process that is not linear and is mediated by many ups and downs, turmoil, anxiety, and stress. For this reason, we state that in the initial period, the greatest ‘enemy’ is not the return to the substance or behavior, but the disappointment that this return brings to the individual.
Conclusion
In summary, physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms are significant, but they are not what makes the journey of recovery-therapy so difficult. The most challenging part is changing the way a person exists and connects with the world.
The substance or behavior constitutes and reflects a way for the individual to connect and form relationships with the world, their environment, and their contexts. The change in this way of connecting is what requires time, willpower, and after many ups and downs, creates a shift to another landscape of the individual’s identity, a shift from something known and problematic to something unknown, stressful, but ultimately liberating for them.
Therapy and the recovery process are not limited to managing physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. In reality, it is the change in the individual’s relationship with the world that makes the process so demanding. With the right support and determination, this journey transforms challenges into true strength for a new life.
