Many situations happen in our lives and some of them are just too harsh to address that we take detours or find comfort zones not to be upset by them. There are times when you start to drink too much and indulge in drugs. Only a few days in and you find yourself unable to get back to normal life. Drugs can take you in fast and then end all roads to escape. In times like these, it is hard for anybody to turn back but if you were strong enough to want yourself to have a better life and start healing, there might be a long way for you to go but it will all be worth it once you reach the other side of the bridge. So go on and read the following ways to find yourself sober and living healthy again.
Get help
After you have made the decision to quit your addiction and want to start living a better and healthier life, the first step is to get help. There are ways that you can do it yourself. The cold turkey method may or may not work on some people. But you can try a technique where you gradually lessen your drug intake and leave it altogether. Many reliable addiction treatment centers near me also provide help with easily coming off substance abuse. If nothing works, a few months of rehabilitation can give you a better living standard.
Find New Activities
Drug addiction is an activity that you indulge in as a way to have fun or relax. It might have started when you were feeling ‘bored’ and took an elevation to a dangerous level. Once you get off drugs, you can find other productive activities that are both fun and take your mind off from retaking a dose. You can start exercising or join a few yoga and Pilate’s classes. Think hard on what you enjoyed doing as a child and relive it. Whether it be painting or dressing up. Read inspirational books. Take rest and go to the mountains. Watch movies.
Give Yourself time
After the clearance of substances from your system, you’ll experience a flood of feelings and emotions. You will feel happy and grateful. And, you’ll also feel intense guilt and pain from indulging in it. There might also be a recurrence of feelings you were trying to diminish with drugs, from past memory or a tragedy. Experiencing all this can be overwhelming, and you might want to go back on drugs. You need to give yourself time to heal. Don’t force yourself or hurt yourself trying to cope with guilt and fear of losing your comfort zone. You can talk to a professional if going without drugs is taking a load on you. They can suggest alternatives until these feelings subside.
Take Human Support
While you recover from rehab, try to get those people closer to you who supported you when you were at your lowest. These can be family and friends that are ready to encourage you to the ends of your journey. You can also make friends with other people going through rehab as they’ll know what you’re going through. Support groups can help you immensely in your journey in stabilizing after addiction. They encourage you to fight your demons and help you go through difficult times by giving professional advice and methods to cope with mental stress.
Find Alternatives to Stress
As mentioned above, once the veil of addiction is taken off your mind, you’ll experience a vast array of emotions, and many of them will put you in a stressful condition. Coping with this stress can be hard and it can lead you back to substance abuse. But there are many ways you can fight this mental stress and not let it take the best of you. Don’t try to avoid the feelings of resentment and anguish and address them head-on to provide yourself a better quality of life. First, you will have to face what is causing your stress and try and eliminate that factor. Muster up the courage and fight the feeling and situations that put you in discomfort. Be confident and stay strong.
You can put yourself up to some distractions to say farewell to your stress. You can go outside and interact with nature, maybe relax with a cup of tea. Take walks in gardens full of refreshing plants and flowers. Rejuvenate with stress-relieving acupuncture.
Mandy X
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
