If you’re currently in addiction recovery, congratulations. It may not seem like it right now but you have taken one of the most important steps. You’ve recognized that you have a problem and you have taken the necessary action to help overcome your addiction.
Unfortunately, this isn’t to say that recovery is easy however. Overcoming any addiction is hard work and it will require lifelong effort but the good news is that there are many things you can do to help make the process a little easier. Below we have highlighted five great ways to improve self-discipline during addiction recovery.
Practice with less difficult challenges
Overcoming addiction is an almighty challenge so don’t be alarmed if you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you’re worried about low self-control and how this is going to impact recovery, start by setting yourself smaller challenges.
Did you know that the more you exercise your willpower, the stronger it becomes? Make it a goal to exert some self-control every day – resist the urge to have dessert, go for a walk when you really don’t feel like it or turn off the TV and read a book instead – every little bit of practice helps.
Develop a positive attitude
The brain is a powerful tool and what we think, we believe. If you go into recovery adamant that you’re going to fail, you probably will. If you’re determined to beat your addiction however, you’re already off to a great start.
If you’re seeing an addiction counsellor, talk to them about how you can develop a more positive mindset. Self-help books are also a fantastic way of receiving extra guidance and training yourself to see things from a different perspective.
Some other great ways of keeping positive include:
- Exercise – reaching your goals and seeing improvements in your body is a great way of increasing confidence and helping you to feel good about yourself.
- Get a hobby or sign up for a course – we get a huge sense of achievement when we’re good at something.
- Focus on your career – doing well in your career gives you a reason to stay clean.
- Help others who are going through recovery – studies show that the people who are the happiest are those who help others.
- Set yourself a target – this helps to improve self-control and reaching your target will motivate you to stay on track.
- Practice self-development.
See an addiction counsellor
Successful recovery is hugely dependent on a number of factors. Have you determined the underlying cause of your addiction? Have you identified your triggers? Have you established coping mechanisms to help during the more difficult times? Are you getting the right support?
Many people who develop addictions do so because they have an underlying mental health condition or they’re struggling to deal with a traumatic life experience that they’ve never come to terms with. Unfortunately, as long as any issues remain suppressed and unresolved, your risk of relapse will be high.
Having an addiction counsellor you can depend on is absolutely crucial to successful recovery. As well as helping you to identify all the points mentioned above, you will be comforted by the knowledge that you have someone to turn to when you’re feeling tempted to relapse.
Cut bad influences from your life
One of the first things you will be told in addiction counselling is to remove any bad influences or temptations from your life. No matter how strong you think you are or how far you have come, when you’re weak, you’re so much more likely to relapse if the very thing you’re addicted to is right in front of your face.
Eat regularly
Researchers have found that blood glucose (sugar) levels play an important role in our ability to practice self-control. When we have to exert self-control in a situation, we deplete our blood glucose levels which means that if we don’t replenish our blood sugar, eventually our willpower runs out.
Try to eat small, regular meals and have a snack on hand at all times for when your resolve starts to wane.
If you think that you or someone you know may need addiction therapy Toronto, please feel free to contact Toronto Trauma and Addiction Counselling for more information and we will be more than happy to help.
