Recovering from an addiction is not an easy thing to do but with the right treatment and the love and support of those around you, it certainly can be done.
Whether you’re already in treatment or it’s something you’re considering at the moment, here are five things you should keep in mind to help aid your addiction recovery efforts.
You will need the help of those around you
Perhaps you think you have already put your loved ones through enough or overcoming your addiction is something you want to do on your own. We cannot highlight enough the importance of getting help and support from those around you however.
Addiction can be very isolating and one of the best things you can do to aid your recovery is to talk to friends and family about the challenges you are facing. Although it may be tough to open up, especially at first, the support system you create can give you an enormous boost which can be the difference between relapsing and not relapsing on a really bad day. Your loved ones want you to get better and they will be there for you when you need them and they can also help you to stay focused and motivated.
Take things one day at a time
Recovery is a lifelong process so it’s important to take things one day at a time. Some days will pass with relative ease and others will feel like an impossible struggle. On the difficult days try not to let thoughts of using or old habits get the better of you – just remember how far you have come and the reasons you wanted to get clean in the first place. Tell yourself that you just need to get through the next five minutes, hour, morning, etc. Whatever seems like a manageable amount of time.
A great tip is to learn techniques that will help you to overcome these negative thoughts and feelings. Having something to care about or to distract you from destructive thoughts can be invaluable during recovery because it gives you something to focus on and a reason to stay clean.
Relapse is common
Although relapse is not inevitable, it is common when in recovery from an addiction. Don’t let this discourage you or make you think there’s no point in getting clean. Even if you do relapse, don’t give up hope or give into the disease.
You can pick yourself up and try again and even better, you can learn from your relapse. What triggered it? How were you feeling at the time? What was so bad in your life at the time that made the urge to use so strong? If you can identify these things, you can turn your relapse into an experience that will aid you in your recovery efforts.
There is plenty of help for addicts available and during times of temptation it’s more important than ever to speak to a professional.
You will need professional help
You are far more likely to get clean and stay clean if you enlist the help of an addiction therapist. Addiction treatment provides an invaluable source of support and vitally, also helps you to identify what drove you to your addiction in the first place.
Being able to recognize and treat the underlying issues is what enables addicts to successfully change their behaviours in the long-run. Without doing this, it’s almost impossible to achieve sustained recovery.
A trained professional can provide you with comprehensive treatment options and offer sound advice throughout your recovery. This is in addition to getting the support from groups such as AA or social support networks. These groups have proven to be an important part of recovery because they help you to build new and healthy relationships with people who know exactly what you’re going through.
You will need to change your behaviors
In order to successfully recover from an addiction, you will need to change your behaviors and habits and possibly your social circle too. Other addicts who you used to be around or places you went to will need to be eliminated from your life if you want to stand any chance of recovering.
It’s also important to identify your triggers so you know what makes you use drugs or alcohol. For example, does an argument with your partner normally make you hit the bottle? Recovery will teach you how to adopt healthier ways of dealing with stress such as going for a run instead of having a drink.
If you would like counselling for addiction or would like to speak to an addiction counsellor about treatment options, please feel free to contact us for more information and we will be more than happy to help.
