The road to banishing drug addiction from your life or the life of your loved one starts by acknowledging the problem.
If you are reading this, then you understand that a problem exists, that it is negatively affecting your life or the life of someone you care for deeply, and that you need to do whatever it takes to make a change in the positive direction.
However, there is always a certain amount of fear when approaching this subject, a very real fear of a relapse. Lifelong sobriety means that you not only need to cleanse your system of the toxin, but that you need to cleanse your mind of the desire to consume it as well. Let’s delve deeper into the essential steps you need to take to banish addiction once and for all.
Understand How Your Addiction is Affecting Your Life
First things first, there is a need to understand exactly how your addiction is affecting your life, the lives of your family and friends, as well as your personal and professional future. Doing this will help you put your addiction into context that is outside of your comfort zone, and shift the focus from the substance to think you need, to the people it is affecting, including you.
Start by making a list. This list needs to hold, in great detail, accounts of everything that has happened from the moment you became addicted. What you will find is that the addiction has taken more of a toll on your personal and professional life than you might have previously thought, and will make you question whether or not it is worth the risk to pursue it any further. Once you have realized what your addiction has done, it’s time to apologize to and seek comfort in your loved ones.
Look for Support in Friends and Family
Your friends, family, and even your dog, are here to help you, guide you, and provide the emotional and psychological support needed to make that first step towards sobriety. Understand that there is always someone out there who can be your shoulder to cry on during difficult times, so if you think that you’re all alone, you have the option to reach out to family members and old friends, or to join a support group – more on that in a bit.
The key think to keep in mind here is that these people are not here to judge you, they are not here to scold you, nor are they here to make this journey difficult for you. They are here to help you, so this is a mindset barrier you will have to overcome and realize that you can confide in your loved ones. Once you do, it’s time to start researching the best treatment options.
Research Treatment Options and Talk to a Professional
The most important step on this journey is to find the right treatment option for your addiction. Understand that every drug addiction deserves a unique approach to treatment and recovery, so while heroin addiction might constitute one set of treatment options, other types of drugs will require a completely different treatment scheme. This is why you not only need to research every option, but also get in touch with a professional to go over your current condition.
In doing this, you will have taken the guesswork out of the whole thing, and made the decision-making process much easier. This will help you transition seamlessly from addiction into treatment and care, and will help you get the exact treatment you need to banish the substance from your mind, body, and soul. Once you’re out, though, it’s imperative that you do what it takes to prevent a relapse.
Join a Support Group and Don’t Miss a Meeting
A support group is vastly different from your friends or family members – these are the people who have been through what you’re going through right now. That means that they understand you and your addiction on a very personal level, and know exactly how to approach you, talk to you, and persuade you to banish the thought of substance abuse from your mind for good. Don’t make the mistake of not joining a support group, but rather find a community in your area, and make sure to be in every meeting – it will make all the difference.
Learn How to Suppress Your Cravings
And finally, you will need to work actively on keeping your addiction out of your mind, and learn how to suppress cravings should they come back. Don’t expect your doctors or your friends from the support group to do everything for you, because you are the only one who can control your through, and your urges. Instead, use their input and guidance to strengthen your mindset, and be sure to educate yourself online on the best methods to prevent a relapse in the future. To this consistently, and over time you will have forgotten why you ever allowed the substance to take hold of your life in the first place.
Closing Thoughts
Drug addiction is a serious physical and psychological condition that requires professional treatment and guidance, and it’s not something you should go through alone. With the help of trained professionals, and the emotional support of your family and friends, you stand a real change of banishing addiction from your life once and for all.