Think back to when you first started to try to ride. You might have fallen down a couple times, you might have stopped for a while then picked it back up. You might have got it on the first try! 

After consistently learning this skill you conquered it. Now fast forward today, there is a good chance you could hop on a bike and ride just fine, no matter how long it has been.

This is called procedural learning. Procedural learning is the acquisition of motor skills and simply refers to the long-term memory of how to do things. Some examples are tying your shoes, typing on a keyboard, or learning a musical instrument. 

So how is addiction like riding a bike?

Addiction uses procedural knowledge as well. After long term use, your brain takes snapshots of these extremely high dopamine experiences. That’s why we can feel triggers and have certain cues even after years of abstinence.

That’s why in my opinion saying you can cure addiction or grow out of it is RISKY.

As noted by Benjamin Saunders in an article published by University of Minnesota (2018); “The activity of dopamine neurons alone – even in the absence of food, drugs, or other innately rewarding substances – can imbue cues with value, giving them the ability to motivate actions.” 

The brain is very smart, it can learn and adapt new coping habits and skills through consistency. I suggest my clients use the consistency of positive coping skills, getting connected to support groups and creating new and healthy pathways to strengthen recovery. 

We don’t get in shape because we go to the gym 48 hours 

It’s the consistency not intensity…

References: 

Barbour, K. (2018, July 31). Understanding how cues drive behavior. Medical School. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://med.umn.edu/news/understanding-how-cues-drive-behavior