Fighting an addiction is one of the most difficult things anyone will tackle. If you are struggling with an addiction to alcohol, drugs or sex, your mind is consumed with obsessing about your next fix. Recovery from this extremely powerful disease requires recognition, determination, and support.
Taking the First Step
Realizing and accepting the problem is the first step toward ending it. External motivations can help, but addicts that have been successful in their recovery will tell you that they finally succeeded when they decided to stop because of internal motivations. Wanting to quit for your mother, brother, or spouse is great, but it is not sustainable. You need to decide that you want to quit for yourself. You want to be better. You want to have a life free of all the terrible consequences that come along with an addiction. You want to begin your life anew, one which is full of serenity and fulfillment, despite the stresses and hard situations that are inherent in our existence as humans. Most of all, you need to want these things more than you want your next hit.
Finding the Fortitude
Once you have made the decision that you have had enough and you can no longer continue living this way, you need to be determined to follow through with your recovery no matter what battles you will face. There will be many challenges on your journey and the only thing standing between you and a relapse is your own will power. One of the most common triggers for relapse in early recovery is the withdrawal process. Depending on the situation, withdrawal can be an extremely uncomfortable experience, both physically and mentally. The effects of withdrawal can push you right back into a downward spiral as you feel that you cannot go on this way. Being aware of this possibility, possessing the determination see it through no matter the cost and having good support for yourself will definitely help.
Support Makes a Huge Difference
Having a support network to depend on helps a recovering addict meet the challenges of an addiction-free life. Often, people believe that family and friends are all that they need, but for a recovering addict the reverse is often true. Family and friends have a hard time dealing with your triggers, struggles, concerns, and relapses. Often, the family and friends are actually part of the problem and will cause greater harm than good when involved in your recovery. Sometimes the best support family and friends can offer is distance. Knowing they are there is helpful, but you must be allowed to approach on your own terms and at your own pace. Creating this type of relationship and implementing healthy boundaries can be difficult so I encourage you to seek the guidance of your therapist.
The best support you can get is from other addicts with some recovery time under their belt. They share similar experiences with you and they can relate to what you are going through. Their ability to offer non-judgmental support is something which you will benefit greatly from. The best places to find this type of support is at AA/NA/SAA meetings or anything similar in nature.
Recovery is a long and slow process but with recognition, determination, and support, a very bright and fulfilling future lies ahead.
