Why Willpower Alone Is Not Enough to Overcome Addiction

There are many myths about addiction and recovery. As a clinical psychologist who has specialized in treating addiction and co-occurring mental disorders for over 25 years, I’m here to help debunk some of those myths. In this first article, I explore the notion that:

“If they really wanted to quit, they would.”

This myth is the idea that willpower and commitment alone are all that’s needed to overcome an addiction, implying that addiction itself is some sort of moral failing or weakness of character. The reality is that addiction comprises physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects, and recovery needs to address all of these aspects as well. It’s not just a mental thing. 

Addiction can involve substances such as alcohol or drugs, as well as certain compulsive behaviors (e.g., gambling, shopping, internet, compulsive sexual behavior and so on). Although not every compulsive behavior is formally classified as an addictive disorder, these patterns can share features such as craving, loss of control, and continued engagement despite harmful consequences. 

One of the most challenging aspects of overcoming a substance use disorder is craving. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) describes craving as an intense desire or urge to use a substance. It may occur at any time but is especially likely in environments associated with previously obtaining or using the substance. Craving can develop through classical conditioning and is associated with activity in the brain’s reward systems (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). For example, someone may develop a strong urge to smoke at a particular time of day, when feeling stressed, or while engaging in an activity that has repeatedly been paired with smoking.

Cravings may be triggered by withdrawal, stress, conditioned cues, emotional discomfort, reward anticipation, or a desire to escape an uncomfortable internal state. They can be physical, psychological, or both. When someone is experiencing a craving to engage in their addictive behavior, the urge might be so strong that it becomes obsessive, and the person cannot think of anything else until they finally act on it. 

A craving affects the body, emotions, and mind. It can hijack a person’s brain, activate the fight-flight-freeze stress response, and lead to poor decisions they might not otherwise make if they were not feeling all that discomfort and could think clearly. In some cases, withdrawal from certain substances (such as alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids) can be excruciatingly painful or even life-threatening, making cessation of use very challenging. Repeated substance use can alter brain circuitry, stress-response systems, hormones, neurotransmitter activity, immune functioning, and patterns of gene expression. All of this might make it very difficult for a person to “just say no.”

Mentally and emotionally, addictive behavior changes the way people think about themselves and the world. They may develop negative thinking patterns and cognitive distortions that portray themselves in a negative light: “I’m a failure. There’s something wrong with me. I’ll never be able to change this.” Hiding addictive behavior or acting in ways that may not be aligned with their values can lead to feelings of guilt and shame, in addition to anxiety, fears, and doubts. This can lead to feeling hopeless and giving in to the urge to numb the pain and despair with the addictive behavior that offers temporary relief. 

Spiritually, people who engage in addictive behaviors can become disconnected from their own essence and wholeness, as well as from others. They may understand this connection as God, a Higher Power, the universe, community, or their own deeper sense of self. As they become increasingly isolated, they may enter a “dark” or “empty” space in which life seems to have no meaning or purpose. This becomes another driver of the addictive cycle.

Unresolved trauma adds another layer of complexity to the equation. People who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event may be left with long-term physiological and psychological effects that persist and worsen over time. Many trauma survivors use substances or compulsive behaviors to self-medicate symptoms of unresolved trauma or PTSD.

When someone has a dysregulated nervous system, whether triggered by trauma, another mental health condition, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, or high levels of stress, their brain does not function optimally. The fight-flight-freeze response kicks in and they experience intense negative emotions such as fear, panic, and overwhelm. When triggered, a person may default to familiar patterns of coping, which may include unhealthy behaviors: “I need a drink now. It’s the only thing that will help. I can’t cope with this. It’s too much.”

The person may know perfectly well that they won’t be able to stop at that one drink and that negative consequences may follow if they act on the craving. Still, the immediate pain or discomfort may feel like too much to bear, so they give in to the urge again and again.

If insight alone were enough, people would be able to say no and quit more easily and returning to use would not be so common. Many people who struggle with addiction know that their behavior is destructive, but they lack the ability to stop on their own. This is where professional help, peer support, and better coping skills come in.

This is not to absolve anyone of responsibility for their choices and the consequences of their actions; it’s simply to illustrate that the issue is far more complex and nuanced than many people realize, especially those who haven’t personally struggled with addiction or known someone who has. 

What else is possible?

In my experience, one area in which addiction treatment can be strengthened is teaching clients effective coping skills that are not only cognitive but also somatic; that is, skills that include the body. Energy Psychology (EP) comprises a set of holistic mind-body modalities that work remarkably well to calm a dysregulated nervous system, challenge negative thoughts, and release uncomfortable emotions It offers clients an empowering way to change how they think and feel without the need to act out in addictive ways. 

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a specific EP modality that I have used as an adjunct for many years with my clients in recovery, both in private practice and at the many rehabs I have helped to run. EFT draws partly upon principles associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. Within this traditional framework, energy, or chi, is understood to travel through pathways called meridians, and disturbances in this system are thought to contribute to physical or emotional distress. EFT combines stimulation of selected acupoints with focused attention on thoughts, emotions, memories, or bodily sensations. 

From a Western scientific perspective, neuroimaging research has found that acupuncture stimulation can modulate activity in limbic and subcortical brain regions involved in emotion, pain, and autonomic regulation (Hui et al., 2000). Because this study examined needle acupuncture rather than EFT, it does not establish exactly how tapping works. It does, however, contribute to the broader investigation of whether acupoint stimulation can influence nervous-system functioning.

EFT has developed a growing research base, including a large number of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews examining anxiety, PTSD, depression, stress, pain, and other concerns. Reviews have reported encouraging results, although researchers also note methodological limitations and the need for larger, higher-quality trials (see the ACEP website for more information: https://www.energypsych.org/researchdb8c71b7#ResearchQuickFacts). Evidence regarding EFT’s direct application to substance-use disorders and behavioral addictions remains more limited, so I view it as a complementary intervention within comprehensive addiction treatment rather than a replacement for established care.

Research indicates that when compared to gold-standard therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), EFT typically gets equal or greater results, usually in a much shorter period of time. Continued research into brief, accessible interventions is particularly important at a time when treatment programs face increasingly restricted lengths of stay.

At Avery Lane, the rehab program in the San Francisco Bay Area where I am Chief Clinical Officer, all of our therapists are trained in cognitive-somatic modalities including EFT. We use it to help clients address ambivalence about stopping substance use, cravings and emotional distress during medically supervised withdrawal, emotional self-regulation, stress and trauma responses, limiting beliefs that keep people stuck in unhealthy emotions and behaviors, and–when clinically appropriate–deeper trauma processing.

Our outcome data have been encouraging, and Avery Lane has received national recognition for the quality of its programming. Although we cannot isolate the effects of any single component, I believe our integrated, trauma-informed approach (which includes cognitive-somatic practices such as EFT) contributes meaningfully to our clients’ progress. I wrote a paper about our experiences for the journal Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment (Popescu, 2021). 

I have written more extensively about these applications in my forthcoming book, EFT for Addiction, which is now available for preorder. My hope is that the book will give people in recovery, their loved ones, and the professionals who support them a practical resource for addressing the emotional, physiological, and psychological dimensions of addiction.

Willpower matters, but recovery requires far more than willpower. It requires effective treatment, support, self-understanding, opportunities for healing, and practical ways to respond when the nervous system becomes overwhelmed. 

I have seen it time and again: Healing is possible, and people can become free from the shackles of addiction!

Learn more or preorder EFT for Addiction here. 

References:

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Hui, K. K. S., Liu, J., Makris, N., Gollub, R. L., Chen, A. J. W., Moore, C. I., Kennedy, D. N., Rosen, B. R., & Kwong, K. K. (2000). Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: Evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects. Human Brain Mapping, 9(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0193(2000)9:1%3C13::AID-HBM2%3E3.0.CO;2-F

Popescu, A. (2021). Trauma-based energy psychology treatment is associated with client rehabilitation at an addiction clinic. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 13(1), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.9769/EPJ.2021.13.1.AP