Addiction comes in many forms. However, it is usually more connected to substance abuse like smoking and drugs. The unfortunate part of addiction, however, is that most people who are addicted find that overcoming their addiction is more challenging than they expected. You can usually hear addicted people say that it’s not really an addiction and that they can quit anytime, only to find out later that even starting to quit is a huge challenge.
Learning to overcome an addiction is extremely important for any type of addiction, whether it’s substance use disorder, behavioral addiction, or alcohol use addiction. With all that said, this article is meant to help people know the steps to overcome addiction that they can do themselves and how to be in the right mindset when doing so. Let’s start.
The first part of addiction recovery is to admit that you have a problem. This is one of the hardest parts since many people addicted to something don’t even know that they have an addiction, and it’s becoming a huge problem in their lives. Not only that, this is even worse for people who are experiencing substance abuse.
Substance use disorder affects their brains, altering their perception of their justification. For example, let’s say a person had an injury before and is prescribed painkillers to cope with the pain. If they become addicted to the painkillers, even if it’s unnecessary, they will continue taking the medicine.
They will then justify to the people around them and even to themselves that they still need the painkillers because of the pain while, in truth, they are simply addicted. As we all know, the first step is sometimes the hardest, and the first step is admission. If you know you have an addiction, that’s already a huge step towards recovery.
When preparing for recovery, you can’t do it half-baked. You must be thorough about it since one mistake can put you back into addiction. There are a lot of points to be had, but you should follow them all. First, you need to eliminate all your sources of addiction in your home, like liquor, drugs, etc.
Even the smallest paraphernalia related to the substances you are addicted to should be removed from your home. If you are suffering from behavioral addiction like sports wagering or porn, you need to get rid of the access you have from them, like canceling your subscription for porn and deleting your accounts to view horse racing odds.
When it comes to preparing for recovery, most people would have problems when it comes to seeking out social support. For people living with addiction, most of the people around them revolve around their addictive behaviors. For example, people with substance abuse would have friends who are likely dealers or fellow addicts.
That said, if you are still in contact with your friends and family who are not related to your addiction in any way, that will already be a huge help. Loneliness can be a challenge during recovery, so you need all the help you can get regarding familial and friendly support.
Some addictions are borne out of stress and coping. For example, a person with alcohol problems started their addiction by drinking to cope with stress. Also, withdrawal would be hard during recovery, which could also stress you out, potentially bringing you back from drinking. It’s a brutal cycle, and you need to have a steadfast determination to break free.
That said, when it comes to stress, there are several ways that you can cope with it without turning back to your addiction. Activities like exercise, relaxation techniques, hiking, swimming, etc., can be great alternatives that you can opt for to cope with stress.
This is also a self-help measure that can help you recover greatly from your addictions. That said, you can seek professional support from hospitals and rehabilitation centers, especially when you have substance abuse. They will help you through medication and other medical services that can help you recover from your addiction.
They can even help you with mental health issues that are probably the source of your addiction or other mental health issues plaguing you during recovery. This is important because many mental health issues often pop up for people doing their best in rehab.
Admitting that you have an addiction problem is the first step towards recovery. You might feel alone on this path, but you are not. If you have friends and family, they are already a source of great support that can help you on the path to recovery. Not only that, but with professional support as well, overcoming addiction is not an impossible thing at all. We hope you recover soon.
Marina Pal is a renowned author and social media enthusiast.