If you struggle with an addiction, you should know that you’re not alone. Addiction is a problem that many people face in different phases of their lives and knows no boundaries in terms of race, sex, or economic status. Fortunately, addiction doesn’t have to be a life sentence, and there are active steps that you can take to overcome your addiction problem if you feel that you’ve hit rock bottom.
Avoid Addiction Triggers
One of the most important steps to overcoming addiction involves avoiding triggers that could cause you to abuse drugs or alcohol or engage in other unhealthy behaviors. You might have to avoid going to certain places, such as bars or nightclubs, that could trigger your impulse to engage in your addiction. It’s also important to find ways to control triggering thoughts and feelings more effectively.
Certain people in your life may also act as triggers that cause you to slide back into the pitfalls of addiction. These people may have a similar addiction or elicit feelings and thoughts in your mind that tempt you to engage in unhealthy behaviors. As difficult as it may be, you should consider removing these people from your life if possible or try making efforts to build healthier relationships with them if you want to overcome your addiction in the best way possible.
Seek Professional Help
There are many professionals who specialize in treating people with addictions, and meeting with one or more of these professionals can help you get the support and guidance that’s needed to make the challenge of overcoming addiction easier. Counselors and other mental health professionals who have experience in working with clients who struggle with addiction can offer you helpful tools and work with you to address the mental struggles that often may be blocking your path to success.
Checking in to an in-patient or out-patient rehab facility may also be an advisable option. Professionals who work at California addiction treatment centers and similar facilities throughout the country can offer you a multifaceted approach to your treatment and help you devise a plan that will allow you to progress more effectively on your road to recovery. Programs at these treatment centers may include detoxification monitoring, medication-assisted treatment, and partial hospitalization.
Use the Power of Faith
You can also try connecting to faith more and take part in religious services at a local church, synagogue, mosque, or similar institution as a way to make overcoming your addiction easier. When you attend religious services, you’ll have the chance to meet positive people who can offer you additional support to help you beat your addiction. Using the power of faith will also help you connect with a higher power, and this may help you break free of your addiction as you turn to something that’s greater than your struggles.
If you’re not exactly the religious type, there are still ways that you can connect with more of your spiritual side as you try to move past your addiction. Meditation is used as a tool in many religious as well as secular practices and can help calm and balance your mind to reduce the power of addiction. Practicing yoga poses can also be useful in sharpening your body and mind so that you’ll be able to manage your addiction better.
Avoid Replacing Your Addiction with Another
You might believe that replacing your addiction with another addictive behavior that seems less dangerous will be the best option for you, but doing so will likely only prolong the process of making a full recovery. Replacing one addiction for another could also cause you to develop more feelings of sadness and anxiety along with other mental health problems that might even cause you to relapse back into your original addiction.
Examples of addiction replacements include turning to food to overcome a drug or an alcohol addiction or exercising excessively to try to cope with sex addiction. If you have a drug addiction, you may also be tempted to switch to using a drug that seems less harmful, but this could still cause health problems along with additional challenges in your life.
You have more control of your life than you probably realize, and overcoming your addiction is possible even if you believe that there is no hope left for you. The right treatment methods, lifestyle modifications, and support network can give you the power to beat your addiction for good.
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.
