If you suspect you may have an addiction, you probably do. Whether it involves smoking, drinking, or taking any other type of drug, you may find it difficult to overcome an addiction on your own.
In this article, you will discover how to overcome an addiction in 6 steps.
How to Overcome an Addiction
The statistics surrounding addiction let us know there is a worldwide epidemic. Around 21 million Americans have at least one addiction. Overdose deaths are at an all-time high.
Whether you are a college student, a parent, a functioning professional or a family member of someone who abuses drugs and alcohol, then you know exactly how much damage addiction can cause.
While it seems easy to become addicted, the path to sobriety is not so simple.
It can be done, however. Overcoming addiction is hard, but greatly appreciated once conquered.
There are specific actions you can do to overcome your addiction. If you are looking for a list that includes steps like “put yourself first”, “eat a balanced diet”, or “exercise”, this is not it.
Addiction is serious and you are fighting your own brain when you try to get sober. Your brain acts like a traitor. It wants to feel high and it will do whatever it can to get you to use your drug of choice. It produces cravings, obsessive thoughts, and stupid reasoning to try and force you to stay addicted.
Here’s how to overcome an addiction.
1. Get Out of Denial
You know those voices in your head say you can quit using drugs anytime you want? The ones that say you don’t really have a problem, you would be fine if your family would just leave you alone, that rehab is not the answer for you?
They are all wrong. They are just filling your head with lies.
These lies are created by your brain to keep you addicted. The truth, you are scared to death to stop using because you know the withdrawal symptoms will devastate you. Your fear is not only about being sober – it’s about getting sober.
The first thing you must do, however, to overcome your addiction is to realize you are addicted. Your brain is telling you that admitting you have a problem is a bad thing. You think it means you are not strong enough or wise enough to solve your own problems. Get over these lies.
Strength and wisdom are both shown by asking for help and admitting you can’t do this alone.
2. Go to Treatment
No matter what stage of the recovery process you are in, you need help. If you need detox, you need the help of medical professionals who can ease the symptoms of withdrawal. If you are being discharged from rehab after a month, you are not ready to go back to your old environmental triggers.
Don’t lie to yourself. You have spent years creating this addiction. One month of treatment is not enough. You need more ammo, more protection to fight back against cravings and temptations.
Continue your treatment after rehab at the highest level possible. This may mean living in a residential facility or it may mean staying in a sober living home.
Staying in a sober home for as long as you can is a great way to help you transition back into the “real world”.
3. Go to More Treatment
If you have already been to rehab once or twice or eight times, and you relapsed upon release, that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up over a relapse. Instead, get back into treatment and stay longer than you did before.
If you start feeling like you want to check out and go home, then you know you need many more weeks of treatment. Be honest, you know that itch is your brain’s way to get you to go home and relapse. Make the right decision. Stay in treatment longer, even if you hate it.
It can take the brain over a year to heal and start functioning without the cravings and obsessive thoughts. Depending on how much and for how long you used, this can vary.
The point is, you need as much treatment as possible. Take advantage of the whole process, from detox to inpatient treatment to sober living to intensive outpatient and individual counseling.
4. Practice Living a Sober Lifestyle
You have been living as an addict for years. You don’t know how to read, write, walk, talk, eat, drive, or even work without being high. Drug use traumatizes and damages the brain, like if you had a brain injury through an accident or injury.
You must learn to read, write, walk, talk, eat, drive and develop skills as a sober person.
Sober homes are the place to help you do this. You are given the time your body needs to relearn how to live and function without being high.
5. Make the Right Choices
Every decision you make will determine your ability to overcome addiction. Make the right choices, even when it feels like it is the hardest thing you have ever had to do in life.
Choose not to be selfish and impulsively to satisfy cravings. Avoid the places, people and things that are triggers. Go to meetings, even if you think they aren’t for you. Maybe it’s not all about you. Maybe your story will prevent someone else from relapsing.
Give back in some way. Volunteer for a charity. You will feel rewarded and have a sense of purpose, things you never felt when high.
6. Believe the Hype
When people tell you that you are worthy, believe it. When they compliment you on your talents, believe it? When people are good to you, believe you deserve it because you do.
Your drug of choice tried to hold you back with lies to make you feel worthless, insecure and trapped.
But you are worthy, you can feel secure, and you can achieve the dreams and goals you had before you became addicted.
Treatment can work for you if you do the work. Sober living can teach you how to live in recovery. You can live the rest of your life free from addiction.
You can start your journey of overcoming an addiction today. Reach out for help. Believe you can do beat this because you can.
Conclusion
If you find yourself smoking, drinking, or taking drugs more often than you used to, you may want to consider joining a community that will help support you as you start our journey to addiction recovery.
The more you understand about addiction and how to overcome an addiction, the sooner you can start your journey.
Professional treatment will provide the care and safe environment you may need to detox and recovery. Afterward, a sober living house will provide an encouraging environment, care, and peer-to-peer support you may find helpful as you continue your journey.