Addiction to harmful substances is not and never will be beneficial for anyone. Toxic substances like tobacco, methamphetamine, and alcohol affect the human body and brain in numerous ways. For instance, smoking can weaken your lungs, increase your chances of developing lung cancer, and cause heart disease. Drug abuse can trigger cognitive problems, increase strain on the liver (putting the person at risk of liver failure), and weaken the immune system. Overconsumption of alcohol can lead to cardiovascular disorders, respiratory infections, ulcers, cancer, and even nerve damage. The list is almost endless.
Therefore, if you have an addiction, you must immediately start looking for ways to quit! Quitting the consumption of harmful substances will improve your physical and mental well-being. It will also help improve your appearance and increase your energy levels to indulge in more productive habits. Fortunately, for those people who are shy to physically visit a doctor, there are other options available like online suboxone clinic that can aid you at the comfort of your own home.
1. Acknowledge your problem
The foremost thing you must do is realize you have a problem. If you don’t identify and acknowledge your issues, your mental state will not let you quit. It is crucial to understand that substance abuse often affects the brain, forcing it to think of excuses and justifications to continue.
So, ask yourself how often you are thinking about consuming your drug of pleasure? Do you lie about using substances? Are you having issues with your relationships? Did you sell our possessions to generate funds for indulgence? One nod to any of these questions is the first hint you have a problem.
2. Seek professional help
Sometimes addiction can go out of hand and require professional help. Several facilities like the Delphi Health Group offer excellent addiction treatment plans like medical detox, 12 step program, dual diagnosis, inpatient rehab, etc. If you’re at that point, checking into rehab is a wise decision.
Professional treatment programs offer more than mere clinical support. They offer corrective assistance to help patients maintain, manage, and balance their treatment. These professional programs guarantee safety, ensure medical stabilization, especially from withdrawal symptoms, and can also decrease the chances of relapse.
Remember, it takes courage to recognize that you need help. Admitting your problems and asking for help is the best first step you can take towards prevention.
3. Change your environment
Many people might disagree, but your environment can impact your addiction. Therefore, you must remove all triggers from your workplace and home. These could be minor things, like a chair in your courtyard where you’d often sit and smoke. Or maybe an ashtray gifted by a friend. If you are trying to avoid drinking, throw away bottles, bottle openers, etc. Stop going to places where you know you might drink more than you should.
Understand that quitting smoking, drugs, or alcohol but continuing with the same old habits increases your chances of relapse. Hence, avoid all people, situations, and places that might trigger your usage. It will help you deal with stress better and spend your time more productively.
4. Identify your triggers
Identifying your addiction triggers is also an essential step towards quitting permanently. Some common triggers to pay attention to include:
- Stress
- Confusing or uncomfortable emotions
- Mental illness
- Physical illness
- Social anxiety
Dealing with these triggers will be pretty challenging. However, you can take measures such as avoiding places where drugs or alcohol are available or surrounding yourself with friends who don’t consume any harmful substance. You must also consider therapy to help cope with stress and other discomforts.
5. Choose a quit date
Choosing a specific date to quit your addiction has been helpful for many people. Be sure to pick a day that’s not too far away but still gives you enough time to prepare. It would help decide whether you plan to quit gradually or quite abruptly. Discontinuing abruptly might not be the best solution since getting over a long-term addiction is no piece of cake. However, if you think you can stop consuming addictive substances entirely on a specific day, then give it a shot.
Telling your friends and family about your quitting plan will help you prepare for your quit day. Throwing away all alcohol, cigarettes, and anything related to your addiction also helps. You can also set up a support system, ask your friends, colleagues, and family members to not smoke around you, and sign-up for an overcoming-addiction retreat.
6. Distract yourself
As mentioned above, controlling urges can become pretty strenuous. Studies show that 85% of patients relapse after a year of treatment because of imbalanced care.
Distracting yourself by indulging in other fun activities is an excellent way of avoiding your urges. You can go for morning walks with friends, talk to family members on call, travel, and exercise. Experts say that physical activity is one of the most helpful activities to prevent relapse. Besides helping you overcome your addiction, exercise is great for releasing endorphins naturally, improving sleep, restoring healthy brain function, and enhancing self-esteem.
Conclusion
You’d be surprised seeing the support and help you have for trying to quit an unhealthy habit. But nothing will work if you aren’t mentally ready. The first thing you need to do is convince yourself to stop. Your journey to becoming clean will become so much easier if you can do so.
However, you also need to take preventive steps to remain sober and avoid relapse. If you can stay out of risky situations, find a support group, manage your urges, and look for alternative distractions, you’ll have it easier along the road to recovery.