The road towards overcoming any kind of addiction is a tricky one, however, there are many studies conducted on this subject to determine which course of action is the most effective. Here are some tips simply explained that can aid you on your road to overcoming an addiction.
Change Your Environment
A very important thing to remember is that you don’t overcome your addiction just by simply stopping using. The real recovery hides behind creating a new environment where there will be no triggers, making it easier for you not to use. This, of course, doesn’t have to apply to every aspect of your life, however, there are well known thinking patterns and unhealthy behaviors that will cause trouble.
Remember that it’s vital for your recovery to avoid high-risk situations to prevent relapse. A lot of aspects of your life will probably fall under this category such as things, places, and people. People that were a part of your life when you were still using them should be avoided at all cost. The same thing applies to all the places that you were using at, as they are the most common triggers. Avoid going to bars with your friends, and also having alcohol in your house. The more you avoid these high-risk situations, and the more you prepare for them if you can’t, the easier your recovery will be.
Ask for Help
Any kind of addiction can be isolating because you give up more of your life to make room for it. One of the most important aspects of recovery is to reach out for help. This might be a tricky road for you to go down, as not everyone has enough understanding for people with addictions. However, you shouldn’t let this stop you, because there are also people who will give you all the support in the world.
Self-help groups are another great source of support, and as many studies indicate, they are one of the most effective strategies for overcoming addictions. There are many groups available, some of the most common ones being Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) which focuses on alcohol abuse, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Gamblers Anonymous (GA). There are many benefits from being in a self-help group such as the feeling you are not alone. You will learn what denial and addiction sound like from hearing them from others, and you will have a haven where no one will judge you.
Honesty
It’s important to realize that there is a lot of dishonesty involved with addictions. A person usually has to lie about their substance of abuse and the consequences the addiction carries with it. Most addicts get a good practice in lying during their addiction period, which is why they often feel like they don’t know who they are. This vicious cycle makes it hard for a person to break out from it, and start being honest when they start their recovery, especially because recovery requires utter honesty. If you are not one hundred percent honest with the people in your recovery circle and self-help group.
Remember that lying leaves the door open for relapsing. However hard honesty might seem at the beginning of your road to recovery, you should try your best to identify the patterns you created to trick everyone else when there was no other option for you but to lie. Identify the patterns, and then try your best to break them by practicing honesty every day.
Self-care
Substance abuse usually happens out of the need to relax or escape a particular event or a feeling. In other words, addiction is used as a sort of a self-care ritual and self-medication. A common misconception among new recovering addicts is that they think by taking away their addiction they will be neglecting themselves since they have a false idea of what self-care is. Recovery however isn’t about denying yourself ways to vent or reward yourself, it’s about looking for better (and healthier) ways to do it.
One thing is for certain, if a recovering addict doesn’t find a better way to take care of themselves, they will soon feel very unhappy, which is, unfortunately, a stepping stone towards a relapse. This is why self-care is essential for mental health. It doesn’t have to include extravagant travels or shopping, it should begin with the simplest things like healthy sleeping habits and a healthier diet plan.
It’s very important to stick to these tips to help you overcome your addictions for good. Studies have shown that relapse is very rare after 5 years of abstinence. Always keep these tips in mind, because they can get you to that landmark, and ultimately help you overcome it completely.