Cross Addictions

People in recovery from a chemical dependency to drugs or alcohol frequently do not consider the possibility that their addiction extends beyond their drug of choice. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. In many instances, the conditions for cross-addiction may be present, where an individual has addiction issues with one substance and then develops a problem with another addictive substance, particularly one in the same drug category as the original chemical dependency. In a large number of these cases, the patient in recovery suffers a relapse.

The mechanism by which cross addictions manifest may take various forms. In the case of voluntary cross-addiction, a patient in recovery from one substance recognizes that use of their previous drug of choice is not an option, but may feel that using other substances is harmless. As an example, their addiction may be transferred from alcohol to nicotine, or following bariatric surgery to control an eating disorder one begins to abuse alcohol. In other instances, a person in recovery may have unexpectedly relapsed and later traced the relapse back to a prescription issued by their physician for unrelated conditions such as sleep, pain, anxiety or even ADHD. Taking an addictive drug of another class may lead to a new addiction, but it can also lead the person back to the original substance of choice.

At Caron Texas each patient’s personalized treatment plan is intended to address the underlying reasons for their addiction starting with removing the chemical from their system and building both self-awareness and educating the patient on the nature of addiction not only during treatment, but providing them educational tools that will aid in their lifelong recovery journey.