You probably know at least one person who will be more than happy to tell you all about how they achieved some difficult goal through the sheer awesomeness of their own willpower. Maybe they lost a lot of weight or ran a marathon or got a big promotion they had been angling for. To hear them tell it, they accomplished this challenging goal all on their own. They decided to do it and then they went out and did it.
Willpower for the win, right? Well, maybe.
But there is a pretty good chance the story of success is not quite as simple as your acquaintance might suggest it is. It is certainly true that focus and dedication can get us a long way toward our goals. But it is also true that hardly anyone accomplishes anything without a whole lot of help and support.
The person who lost all the weight may have a partner who kept tempting, unhealthy food out of the house or who took up cooking to limit the amount of calorie-laden takeout they consumed. The person who ran the marathon may have had a running buddy or a trainer or a doctor who helped them keep going when things got tough. And the person who nabbed the promotion almost certainly benefited from collaborative work with coworkers that allowed them to shine.
When we forget that we all need a support system to help us reach our goals, we become susceptible to some dangerous ideas—like the notion that you should be able to conquer your substance use disorder through willpower alone.
Here are some things to keep in mind when someone suggests all you need is the power of your own will to solve your addiction issues.
A Substance Use Disorder is a Brain Disease
It is a mistake to think of a substance use disorder as a simple issue that can be resolved by simply willing it to go away. Drug and alcohol use lead to changes in our neural pathways—which is to say, addiction is a brain disease, not a failure of willpower.
In the same way you would be unlikely to suggest you could be cured of cancer through the power of your will, you should be wary of anyone who suggests that a substance use disorder can be overcome without any sort of intervention. It simply is not true for the vast majority of people.
Other Reasons Willpower Will Not Do the Job
The fact that a substance use disorder is a disease that requires treatment is a pretty definitive argument against relying solely on willpower. But there are other reasons why willpower isn’t enough.
First, relying on willpower often means suppressing or ignoring the things in our life—past trauma, a mental health disorder, overwhelming stress—that have contributed to the development of the substance use disorder. Without addressing root causes and co-occurring disorders, your will is unlikely to carry the day. You might achieve a short-term victory, but you are unlikely to be able to maintain it unless you deal with other factors in your life.
Second, we often find a way to rationalize or make an excuse for a bad decision. For example, having not picked up a drink for a few days, you may falsely convince yourself that you have demonstrated the power of your will to control your choices about drinking—and so you decide drinking today will not be a problem. This cycle of convincing yourself you have things under control and can therefore keep drinking or using drugs is like betting against the house in Las Vegas. You may have some short-term wins, but over the long haul, you are likely to lose.
What We Will Say About Willpower
We want to be clear: We are not suggesting that willpower plays no role at all in your recovery from a substance use disorder. To return to our examples from above, it is certainly true that the person who lost all the weight or who ran the marathon or who got the promotion had to put in a lot of work. They had to keep their eye on their goal and make good decisions even when it would have been easier not to. The accomplishment of difficult goals always involves the kind of stick-to-itiveness that comes from a good supply of willpower.
The same is true when it comes to recovery. You have to make a decision to reclaim and maintain your sobriety. And it will not be easy, so you will have to remain dedicated, drawing on your inner reserves of willpower to carry you through many difficult moments.
But our point remains the same: Your willpower alone is unlikely to get you where you want to be. Instead, you need treatment, resources, and a strong support system to underpin your personal efforts and make lasting success—and sobriety—possible.
We Will Do Everything in Our Power to Help
At Wooded Glen Recovery Center, we know that making the decision to get help for a substance use disorder already demonstrates a significant supply of willpower. Our goal is to help you get sober and then to provide the strategies, resources, and support you need to stay sober. We will personalize your treatment plan to address your specific needs and situation—including tackling any co-occurring mental health disorders that may be in play.
There is no reason to go it alone when it comes to recovery. In fact, going it alone is seldom a successful strategy. When you have made the decision to make a change, we are here to help you get on and stay on the road to lasting recovery.