Any practical tips and tricks to overcome addiction?

@enthusiasticEast6282 As a former addict, I am always telling people to just completely cut off any source of addiction from their life. The little-by-little method never worked for me. Just quit and do something else. Find new ways and outlets to show your emotions. The minute you start thinking about having a drink, divert your mind forcefully and think about something else. My therapist (Chaye McIntosh in ChoicePoint New Jersey) always used to say that having the willpower to leave addiction is what will get you to leave addiction!!!! If you slip, do not worry. Just et back on the track and forget about what happened.

@enthusiasticEast6282 Having a support system is absolutely vital. Friends, family, other addicts online, a listener (or several) here on 7cups. Just as many people as you can get in your corner to reach out to when you're having cravings. If it weren't for my support system, I'm honestly not sure that I would still be clean.

I would tell my younger self that "Yes, people can change, I just don't have to be there to see it." A large factor in every one of my relapses was letting someone who was toxic back into my life and giving them another chance. I ended up coming up with that phrase to help with keeping my distance from one person in particular. I would also tell my younger self to delete any and all possible contacts in my phone that I would have even a slight chance of getting substances from. That also included removing people who are actively using from my life.

I don't really know of any knowledge that would have made me quit earlier, to be honest.. Due to the circumstances surrounding my use I didn't, and still don't, know of many options that would have been viable to help me get out of those situations.

The mind game was a tricky one for me.... One of the things that I remind myself every time that I start getting cravings again is that I absolutely loathe the person that I turn into when I'm using. It's not me. It's not who I want to be and it's not what I want the people in my life to have to experience again. I also try to make sure that I don't look back on my use with rose colored glasses. I remember the gritty details. My rock bottoms.

As far as self discipline goes, that's a tricky one. One of the first things that I had to get over was being afraid to reach out for support when I needed it. I'd make one call or send one text and if they didn't reply then I would just....give up. I learned that I need to keep trying different people until I can reach someone. Another thing is what I just mentioned above; getting rid of any easy ways to get ahold of the substance through other people. I also have a promise that I made to my therapist that if I'm going to start using again, I have to call -and speak to- him before I act on those cravings/urges. He's been able to talk me out of it on many occasions. The last thing that I can think of is what I was doing when I was white knuckling it a lot. I set rules that I absolutely wasn't allowed to break under any circumstances. No one can bring any substance to my house, I am not to leave to get a substance from anyone, no one can drop off anything around where I live, and, when it's really bad, I cannot leave the apartment unless my partner is with me to hold my accountable. That last one is definitely far from pleasant but it's worked really well.

The long term affects that I've noticed are that my memories are hazy and, unfortunately, I've come to realize that I've repressed a lot of things that happened while I was using. There is permanent damage to the areas of my body that I used my substances, there were permanent affects on the relationships with people in my life, and I will always be a recovering addict now. I am incapable of using most substances recreationally, therefor I have to remind myself that I don't get to even try doing that anymore. It's just not an option.

That's all that I could think of right now but I'm sure I'll end up thinking of more. Probably right before I fall asleep or something. haha I apologize for the lengthy post, I just wasn't sure how to explain without it being long.

One last thing, if you ever need someone to listen, feel free to PM me. Just let me know that you're from this subcom, please. ❤️