Key Steps on Making the Change to Move Past Addiction

Addiction is described as a brain disease that’s characterized by uncontrollable drug use regardless of the harmful consequences. It’s considered a brain disease because addiction modifies the brain functionally and structurally. This is why you need to find a reputable rehabilitation facility to help you start anew. Addiction treatment at Pacific Ridge., for example, will help you stop the addictive cycle by digging into the underlying issues and helping you develop new habits.
When a person successfully finishes treatment and returns to their regular daily schedule and work, it can be the start of a new life. Here are some steps to make a permanent change to move past addiction:

Identify Triggers

Although this appears to be a simple thing to do since triggers can be anything, it’s essential to consider places, people, feelings, and social situations that usually lead to the desire to use drugs or alcohol.
After treatment, people recovering from addiction find many triggers that they didn’t even know. Knowing your triggers and establishing the ability to identify them in advance will help a person balance out the challenges of experiencing cravings.

Plan Ahead

If a person knows himself or herself and their triggers, it can be simpler to act appropriately. This could mean taking another route in going home from work just to avoid passing a location where alcohol and drugs are used. If you should attend a party or a social gathering where you know they’ll serve alcohol, share a mocktail recipe with the bartender so you don’t feel left out.

Admit the Urge

Instead of fighting the strong craving to use drugs or to drink, admit the urge and work it through. The intense feeling of needing a drink isn’t really fatal and, with enough time, it will just subside. Most urges go away within 10 to 15 minutes. If they don’t, simply walk away from the situation you’re in that triggers your urge.
When you’ve developed your addiction, you may have had to drink to hide some physical or emotional discomforts. However, now is the best time to work through your discomforts and understand that these are unavoidable and perfectly fine.

Think Rationally

Whenever you’re confronted by a difficult situation where you feel the urge to use drugs or drink alcohol, try challenging your thoughts and asking yourself if it’s really what you want to do. Would you really want to feel guilty, wake up with a hangover and be pierced with anxiety?

Thinking that you have no way you can fight the urge or convincing yourself that you should get a drink to get it over with is clearly irrational. Thoughts like these must be checked and stopped instantly. If you encounter a situation causing you to use drugs or to drink, study your thoughts.

For instance, if you’re experiencing a bad day at work, rather than going to the nearest pub, analyze the situation and take information that can help you improve how to perform at work.

Find a Distraction

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, finding a good distraction can be a good way to overcome your urges. Make a list of healthy activities or distractions that you can refer to whenever you feel an overwhelming craving so that you don’t have to think about the urge too much.

Consider doing activities such as swimming laps, taking a walk or running, reading a book, calling a friend, or cleaning. Find an exercise program for you to do, which should give you a healthy boost of happy hormones called endorphins. These hormones help in reducing anxiety and stress levels in the body.

You can also do mindful meditation to gain peaceful determination to completely overcome your addiction. Imagine yourself doing any of your distractions to motivate you to get started. This should help comfort any fears and anxiety that can cause cravings. Maintain a positive outlook in life and know that by developing new habits, you will conquer counterproductive ones.

Join a Relapse Prevention Treatment

There are many ways to help a person recover from drug or alcohol addiction and learn crucial skills to prevent relapses. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, for example, is an extremely useful way for recovering persons to develop a positive skillset to overcome their addiction and help people realize the relationship between their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Final Thoughts

Any person recovering from addiction . should know that overcoming addiction can take time and that relapse is a normal part of the disease in the same way that experiencing cravings and triggers are also part of recovery. Rather than feeling depressed or guilty, stay positive and focused to help you lead a healthy and happy sober lifestyle.