Understanding And Overcoming Your Addiction

Hello everyone

I hope everyone is having a lovely day so far!

What is your addiction? Whether you are addicted to alcohol, tobacco, sex, drugs, lying or gambling... admitting that you have a problem is always a first step to overcome it, and you have already taken that first step through wanting to read this post. Now is the time to make a plan to quit, find help and prepare yourself for the obstacles you will encounter.

Understanding your addiction

Addiction changes the brain, first by subverting the way it registers pleasure and then by corrupting other normal drives such as learning and motivation. Although breaking an addiction is tough, it can be done and you can do it! Understanding how addiction changes your brain is the step to breaking free and regaining control of your life. Here are a few common signs of addiction:

- Lack of control: the substance is used in larger amounts or over a longer time than the person originally intended

- Desire to limit use: wanting to cut back on use but being unable to do so

- Time spent: a considerable amount of time is spent trying to acquire a substance

- Cravings: the user experiences an intense desire or urge to use

- Lack of responsibility: substance use takes priority over work, school or home obligations

- Problems with relationships: interpersonal relationships are consistently strained from use

- Loss of interest: user stops engaging in important social or recreational activities in favor of use

- Dangerous use: continued use despite dangerous circumstances.

- Worsening situations: continued use despite worsened physical or psychological problems

- Tolerance: a need for larger amounts of the substance to achieve desired effects

- Withdrawal: this can be physical and emotional. Side effects may include: anxiety, irritability, nausea and vomiting

Write about the harmful effects of your addiction

To start the personal recovery, consider diary writing about your addiction. Think about how the addiction affects your family, your personal relationships and other areas of life. Describe how your addiction has affected your mental and physical health. What you write down can help you remember the negative aspects of the addiction later, and give you an extra incentive to keep looking forward. It may be hard to think about the ways in which your addiction is harmful to you, but being confronted with the list on paper can make it easier to decide that you want to quit as soon as possible. Here are some suggestions/examples:

- Think about how it could affect your health. Are you at a bigger risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other health problems as a result of your addiction? Maybe your addiction has already made a noticeable attack on your health.

- Make an overview of the amounts of money you lost to please your addiction. Determine if your addiction has a negative impact on your work or finances.

- What effect does your addiction have on your relationships with other people? Does it mean you spend less time with the people you love, or avoid relationships?

- Think about how it affected you mentally. Are you ashamed of your addiction? In many cases, addiction leads to embarrassment and embarrassment in addition to depression, anxiety, and other mental and emotional problems.

Write down the positive changes you want to make in your life

Once you've outlined your issues, you can write about what you want your life to look like after the addiction. Writing this down and looking back at it once in a while can keep you motivated to keep going forward. How do you want your life to be? What do you want to change? Maybe you want to save money, feel confident again, spend more time with loved once, find a new hobby… That is completely up to you.

Why do I want to get rid of my addiction? (A mission statement)

Writing down reasons you want to quit will support you in the long run in sticking to your plan to quit. Your reasons for quitting should be more important to you than continuing with your addictive behaviors. This mental hurdle is tough but a necessary first step to stop any addiction. Your mission statement is a summary of the reasons why you are fighting your addiction. My mission statement was: I want to quit, because I want to have the energy again to fully enjoy life.

Getting rid of triggers

Step 1: Identifying your triggers

Everyone has a certain triggers that automatically makes them fall back into their addiction. For example, if you are struggling with an alcohol addiction, you may find it difficult to go out to eat or to go to a bar without having the strong urge about having a drink. If you are addicted to gambling, driving past a casino on the way home can give you the urge to gamble. Knowing what your triggers are can help you face them when the time has come to stop.

- Stress is often a trigger for all kinds of addiction

- Certain situations, such as parties, can be very heavy triggers

- Certain individuals can also be triggers

Step 2: Prepare your environment

Remove or throw away everything that reminds you of your addiction in your house, workplace, car.. Remove any objects that belong to your addiction, along with things that remind you. Replace those things with things that make you feel calm and motivated. For example: filling your fridge with good food, buying new decoration like candles or plants… Redesigning or deep cleaning your room or house could also be very helpful.

Stay away from places (a bar, a casino, a sexshop…) that trigger addiction behavior

Step 3: Cutting out triggering individuals

This might be one of the hardest steps, at least for me. Inform those people that you want to quit and are no longer looking for the things you used to do. Be receptive to their feelings, but dont let them discourage you or making you want to stop your attempt to quit. They should respect your choices.

Relapsing

The physical and mental pain of quitting the addiction is real, and you will probably try to convince yourself that it is okay to return to the habit. Don't listen to that voice you're trying to convince. Don't give up on yourself when things start to get tough. It is more than worth all the pain and effort. Don't be overwhelmed by feelings of shame and guilt if you relapse. You do your best, and all you can do is go on and keep going! Celebrate every small achievement, because every small achievement is a step closer to a life without addiction. Reward yourself.

Another thing that could give you a sense of focus on your goal, is sharing in the Sharing Circle that is hosted everyday! You could see it as a small celebration moment every day.

I hope this might help some people in their journey to overcoming addiction!

What is your mission statement?

*Lots of hugs*

Dimara

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