All too often, smart people wind up in our Suboxone addiction treatment program because they believed that their high intelligence would ultimately protect them from addiction. But no one is too smart to be an addict. In fact, research suggests that smart people are more prone to addiction than people of average and low intelligence – according to one study, people who have higher IQs in childhood are more likely to drink heavily as adults.
Very intelligent people may be more likely to use drugs, and they’re also less able to assess their own risk of winding up in a program like our Suboxone addiction treatment program. When they do develop a problem, they’re less likely to admit it and get help. They’re also harder to treat when they do find their way into a program. Let’s take a look at some of the ways high IQ actually holds people back in our Suboxone addiction treatment program.
You Assume Your Intelligence Protects You
Very intelligent, well-educated people often assume that their intelligence and education protects them from the addictive effects of drugs. They think they know more about themselves, the drug in question and addiction in general than people of lower intelligence, so they talk themselves into believing that they won’t get hooked.
Highly intelligent addicts intellectualize; they spend their time over-analyzing meaningless details of their drug use and picking apart logical flaws in the treatment approach in an attempt to show that they don’t have a problem. Because very intelligent addicts are often well-educated and high-functioning, they are able to persist much longer in the belief that they have their addiction under control.
You Will Refuse to Follow the 12-Steps
It’s said that the 12-Step program isn’t for everyone, and it’s also said that that’s because some people are too smart for it. Very intelligent addicts struggle in treatment – whether it’s a 12-Step support group or our Suboxone addiction treatment program – because they don’t want to accept the knowledge and wisdom of others. They see themselves as intellectually superior to the other recovering addicts in their program, and they use that perspective to justify not taking the recommendations sponsors, treatment professionals and other addicts give.
Because of this, very smart people in recovery have to learn hard lessons – like avoiding old partying friends, for instance – for themselves. They must experience multiple relapses before they can accept that the recommendations they’re receiving in treatment are valid.
The very intelligent people we help in our Suboxone addiction treatment program over think every aspect of addiction. Because they are accustomed to relying on their own intelligence, logic and willpower, they really struggle with concepts like humility, which are necessary for recovery to occur.
Suboxone Addiction Treatment Helps the Intelligent Addict
None of this is to say that there’s no hope for the intelligent addict in our Suboxone addiction treatment program. These addicts can benefit from the support and fellowship of other professionals like themselves – people who they can respect and admire. Intelligent addicts need feedback from intelligent peers in order to recover.
Intelligent addicts can succeed in our Suboxone addiction treatment program by developing emotional regulation and emotional intelligence. These are often lacking in addicts, whether they are intelligent or not. Emotional intelligence helps improve relationships and interactions with other people, lowers stress levels, and protects against depression and addiction. Emotionally intelligent people are much happier with their lives in general.
No matter how smart you are, your intelligence alone can’t protect you from addiction. The most an intelligent addict can hope for is to maintain a high level of functioning due to his or her intelligence and advanced professional training. But addiction isn’t a disease you can think your way out of – you have to feel your way out of it, and that involves developing some emotional skills and being open to the wisdom and experiences of others.
If you or someone you love is struggling with opiate addiction, our Suboxone maintenance program can help. We offer affordable drug detox solutions that can get you back to living a normal life within days.
Call us now at 888-699-5679 now to learn more about our program and how it can help you, or someone close to you, reclaim a normal life.