When people try to analyze factors that lead to addiction, one common and damaging myth is that it should be easy to stop if you have enough willpower. However, this simply isn’t true. While this characteristic may help you during recovery and later in life, it’s critical to address the connection between addiction and self-control. 

Understanding Addiction as a Brain Disease

When someone is addicted to a powerful chemical substance, their mind and body become reliant on it. Even though maladaptive behavior may have devastating consequences in daily life, the physical changes that occur in the brain with repeated substance use impair a person’s behavior control and decision-making ability.

These changes only get worse during the period of addiction and, consequently, impact the ability to exercise conscious choice, or willpower. The American Psychological Association (APA) states that willpower is more complicated than we think. Even on our best days, we all face circumstances that deplete willpower, whether curbing the impulse to make certain hand gestures to a rude driver or resisting the urge to talk back to a berating boss.

According to the APA, some studies also indicate that when your willpower is drained, your brain may actually function differently and suffer a drop in glucose, which is necessary to keep brain cells at optimum performance. So when someone is struggling with substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD), their willpower is also compromised.

Proper detoxification, withdrawal management, and individualized treatment help many people regain control over the physical depletion caused by SUD and AUD. Then, once they have the opportunity for clarity during and after recovery, they can incorporate stronger belief systems that help boost willpower and self-control.

12 Facts About Addiction and Willpower

All too often, people feel shame and guilt if they can’t seem to transition to sobriety without medical help. This is another form of stigma that stunts success. Here are some key facts that help dispel this myth and point you or a loved one in the right direction of quality treatment.  

1. Addiction Alters Brain Chemistry

SUD and AUD fundamentally change our reward centers, such as the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. As a result, it’s often difficult for individuals to experience pleasure from everyday activities, reinforcing the compulsive desire to seek out the addictive substance or behavior.

2. Willpower Alone Is Often Insufficient

While willpower certainly plays a role in overcoming addiction, research shows that it alone is often insufficient. In an article for Treatment Magazine, psychologist, addiction counselor, and professor Ryan Blackstock said, “I think there are boundaries to our existence where sometimes willpower itself isn’t enough. In the beginning, it takes a lot of willpower, not to mention trust in a recovery process, to stay sober.” 

3. The Role of Dopamine in Addiction

Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, plays a key role in addiction. Addictive substances or behaviors cause a surge in dopamine, creating a feeling of euphoria. Over time, the brain becomes less sensitive to dopamine, requiring more of the substance or behavior to achieve the same effect, leading to a cycle of dependence.

4. Addiction Compromises Self-Control Mechanisms

As mentioned above, the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for decision-making, self-control, and rational thought, becomes impaired. This weakens your ability to exert willpower, as the brain’s capacity to weigh consequences or resist impulses is diminished.

5. Stress Reduces Willpower

 In moments of heightened stress, the brain seeks immediate relief or pleasure, often through addictive substances or behaviors. This makes it more challenging to resist cravings or avoid relapse.

6. Addiction Hijacks Survival Mechanisms

Just as food and water are essential for survival, SUD and AUD cause the brain to prioritize the substance as necessary for survival. This false sense of need can overpower willpower, as the brain seeks to satisfy what it perceives as a life-sustaining requirement.

7. Genetics Influence Both Addiction and Willpower

Genetic factors contribute to SUD and AUD susceptibility. Additionally, some individuals are genetically predisposed to produce lower levels of dopamine or have less sensitive dopamine receptors, making it more difficult for them to feel pleasure from non-addictive activities. This could mean it’s more challenging for them to maintain motivation and willpower during recovery.

8. Environmental Triggers Affect Stability

Environmental cues, such as being in places where or around people with whom addictive behaviors occurred, are powerful triggers. As such, they might reignite cravings and make it more challenging to resist temptation.

9. Mindfulness Can Strengthen Willpower

So when do you have a chance to improve your willpower? Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction, have been shown to enhance this characteristic by increasing awareness of cravings and emotional states. Practicing mindfulness helps you observe impulses without immediately acting on them, allowing you to manage urges more effectively.

10. Willpower is Like a Muscle

The APA states that willpower is like a muscle: while it can become fatigued due to overuse, it can also be strengthened with practice. BetterUp offers these tips.

11. Long-Term Abstinence Can Rebuild Willpower

Over time, long-term abstinence from addictive substances allows your brain to recover, gradually rebuilding the areas involved in self-control and decision-making.

12. Support Systems Boost Willpower

Social networks, such as family, friends, and 12-Step support groups, play a critical role in addiction recovery. These systems provide external reinforcement and encouragement, helping you maintain willpower and stay committed to sobriety during challenging times.

Seabrook’s Model of Care

Our four award-winning treatment centers in New Jersey are CARF-accredited facilities, an organization promoting best practices in behavioral health and evidence-based addiction recovery. Through our Seabrook Model, our board-certified professionals provide individualized treatment to help you move forward in life with confidence and strength. Call our admissions office today to learn more.