Beating drug addiction is possible. Getting sober on your own is possible, but it’s often easier with a support network of friends and family that can hold you accountable. By taking the right steps, you can begin to move away from the patterns of behavior that lead into substance abuse and begin to move forward to a more sober lifestyle.
The purpose of this guide is to help explore how beating drug addiction is possible and what options people have available to them to achieve that goal.
First, we’ll examine how to determine whether you’re in a position where you should consider putting an end to the substance abuse in your life. By examining how your health, social environment, and work are affected, you can identify if there is a problem. Next, this guide covers tips for beating drug addiction.
Remember, drug addiction is treatable. Please use this guide to start your journey to building a more solid foundation for sobriety.
How to decide when to quit
Determining whether you have a substance abuse problem that needs to be addressed is the first step. To help you with that, we’ve put together some questions to ask yourself honestly to see if your substance abuse needs corrective action. This is by no means a definitive exercise, but simply a tool to use to begin understanding how drugs may be affecting your life:
When attempting to identify if there is an issue, consider the following:
- Is my physical appearance beginning to decline?
- Do I shake, appear pale, or otherwise appear unhealthy?
- Am I drowsy at times of the day that seem unreasonable?
- Do I find myself (or do others find me) often irritable, or more irritable than usual?
- Do I have memory loss?
- Has my professional life or educational life been in recent decline?
If your answer is yes to one or more of the questions above, you may be suffering from a substance abuse problem. Substance abuse affects a person’s ability to think normally and affects their energy levels which will often cause them to decline in work or school. They may also have physical symptoms that reflect the effects of the drugs on their mind and body.
Tips for beating drug addiction
- Make the decision that you want to quit. The first step is admitting there is a problem. By admitting it to yourself, you’ve stepped in the right direction to begin taking action.
- Create a list of the negative and positive effects. List out all the ways your substance abuse is affecting you negatively. Then, list all the things that you could have if you corrected your behavior, but you’re otherwise prevented from given your current situation. This can include your professional life, or your family life. What goals do you have for those environments? How can you best achieve them?
- List the reasons or events that contribute to you feeling like you want to engage in drug abuse. How do you end up in those situations? How could you introduce new patterns of behavior in your life that steer you clear of those situations?
- Implement your changes. It’s important to remember that change can be difficult. Start small. Get yourself a win in some small way that you can celebrate just for yourself. Lean on that win to move into your next one. Keep it one step at a time to begin to change your patterns.
- Stay committed. It’s possible that you may experience a relapse. If that happens, remember the successes you had previously, and re-commit to exceeding those successes moving forward.
- Asking for help is okay. You may need to begin developing a support system of friends and family who you can declare your intended changes to so that they can check in with you and help hold you accountable to yourself. Just remember to keep yourself surrounded with positive people that aren’t encouraging you to relapse.
- Professional help is for everyone. If it becomes too difficult to handle on your own, remember that professional help is for everyone. Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals also struggle with drug abuse. It’s not about who you are, but about what you’re struggling with. Be okay with reaching out to professionals to ask for further assistance. There are many types of support programs and drug rehabilitation programs. Explain what you’re dealing with to a substance abuse clinic or medical professional and they will be able to help guide you further on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.
Conclusion
Drug addiction is treatable. The first step is to identify if you have an issue that needs attention. Once you’ve done that, you can begin to take steps to correct the destructive substance abuse behaviors. Remember, there are always professionals that you can consult with to get more effective treatment options.