Addiction has often been compared to a disease, and while many may think that it’s an extreme comparison, we think it’s pretty accurate. After all, addiction can severely affect every aspect of your life. It often eats you up from the inside and can cause you to lose everything important to you – your job, your loved ones, your health, and in some cases, your life.
It’s a scary thought, right? That’s why, if you have an addiction, you need to do everything you can to recover from it. If you’re not sure how to do that, keep reading.
Admit you have a problem
You’ve probably heard the saying “admission is the first step to recovery” whenever it comes to addiction. As cliché as it may sound, it’s true.
It’s really hard to recover from something if you won’t even admit that it’s a problem. However, if your friends and family start to get worried about you, don’t brush them off, but rather consider why they are worried. You may also start to notice physical effects, which could clue you in to your addiction. After all, substances like alcohol can have an effect on your body, and if you’re addicted to them, you’re bound to feel that.
Seek help
Now that you’ve admitted that you have a problem and you need help, it’s time to actually seek that help. You may think that you are strong enough to overcome your addiction on your own, but that is rarely the case. Consider rehab programs or therapy. For more details, you can read up on IOP therapy vs traditional therapy.
It can be hard to seek help, especially if you’re embarrassed. However, keep in mind that seeking help is the hard thing to do, and taking that step makes you incredibly brave.
Talk to people
When you do go to rehab or therapy, you need to actively participate in order to get better. You can’t just sit and listen to others speak; you need to open up as well. This is a hard thing for many people to do. Once again, you may feel shame about your addiction, but remember that you are in a safe space.
Even if you aren’t in therapy or rehab anymore, you must talk to your loved ones. If you don’t, your feelings could bottle up, which could lead to you turning back to your addiction. You can learn more about opening up to people here.
Stay on track
You’ve likely heard people say that addicts are always recovering, and never fully recovered. This means that, even if you’ve gone through all of the steps and overcome your addiction, it can be very easy for you to fall back into it.
You need to focus on staying on track. Try to avoid anything that may trigger your addiction, and never give in to it, no matter how tempting it is. It may feel like there is a hole in your life once you don’t have something you are addicted to anymore, so try to form good habits to fill this gap.
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The content is intended to augment, not replace, information provided by your clinician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Reading this information does not create or replace a doctor-patient relationship or consultation. If required, please contact your doctor or other health care provider to assist you in interpreting any of this information, or in applying the information to your individual needs.
