Admit There Is A Problem
First things first, you must admit you have an addiction.
If you are feeling discomfort or guilt from your actions, or if your bad habits conflict or restrict your everyday activities, its time to consider help.
Dr. Elizabeth Hartney, PhD agrees, There are many factors, physical, mental, and emotional, that make quitting difficult.
This is why so many people find treatment helps to guide them through the complex process of quitting.
Sugar Addiction Or Dependency
There is no doubt that for the majority of people, sugar can cause addiction-like symptoms. Obsessing over sugar, being unable to moderate your intake, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms without it are all good markers that you have an addictive pattern with sugar consumption.
Sugar consumption, like that of all hyperpalatable foods, triggers our brains reward system. A release of dopamine and a rise in serotonin associates these foods with pleasure, and rewires our brain to crave more of them to continue releasing dopamine.
Quitting sugar is sometimes more than breaking a habit or a matter of willpower it is breaking an addiction.
Sugar addiction is more comparable to that of nicotine or caffeine addiction that that of a drug addiction. Others think that sugar addiction is a psychological addiction rather than a physical addition. However, that doesnt decrease the significance of the addiction or dependency.
Please note, that with any sort of addiction or dependency, its important that you work with a professional healthcare or mental health provider. The information in this article gives an overview of how to break a sugar addiction, but its always best to consult with your provider to develop a plan for your individual situation.
Stay Away From Temptations That Help Feed Your Addiction Or Bad Habits
Staying away from temptations is a lot easier than you think. You contribute to your addiction or bad habits when you put yourself in familiar places where your triggers are present. The world is full of fun activities you dont have to be limited to a bar or a pill to have a good time. If your friends try forcing you to come out and drink or do drugs with them while you are attempting to get sober, then be honest and upfront with them. Good friends will help you achieve your goal, not set you backwards.
How bad do you want to be successful at breaking a bad habit and forming a positive one? Use that strength to remove temptations from your life. Certain people also trigger giving into our habits. Avoiding these people and their influence is the best solution to getting away from any triggers they may cause. Out of sight, out of mind.
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Focus On Overall Diet Quality
Studies show that improving overall diet quality can help minimize cravings for sugary foods and enhance cravings for healthier foods.
For example, eating fewer foods high in added sugar like ice cream, cake, and cookies and increasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods like beans, vegetables, fish, and whole fruits may help reduce your reliance on added sugar and help you crave healthier foods.
Helping A Friend With Addiction
If you’re worried about a friend who has an addiction, you can use these tips to help him or her. For example, let your friend know that you are available to talk or offer your support. If you notice a friend backsliding, talk about it openly and ask what you can do to help.
If your friend is going back to drugs or drinking and won’t accept your help, don’t be afraid to talk to a nonthreatening, understanding adult, like your parent or school counselor. It may seem like you’re ratting your friend out, but it’s the best support you can offer.
Above all, offer a friend who’s battling an addiction lots of encouragement and praise. It may seem corny, but hearing that you care is just the kind of motivation your friend needs.
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Keep Track Of Triggers For Substance Abuse
We cant put bubble wrap around our lives, which is why we have to learn better ways to cope with stressful events, but knowing your triggers can help you avoid stressors and temptations altogether. Triggers are the places, people, and events that make you feel like you want to engage in addictive behaviors. For instance, vacations can be triggers people once addicted to alcohol as these environments, once associated with drinking, surface the desire. Boredom is also a heavy trigger for most addictions as well. Having a variety of hobbies and keeping a busy schedule can help you stay focused and on track. Keep track of the people, places, and actions that would tempt you, and try to avoid them when you can. When you cant, preparation is essential so let someone know and stay vigilant.
Help For Your Addiction Is Available In Many Forms
Always remember that there is hope for recovery and that someone who cares is never more than a phone call away. You are not alone and getting help for addiction recovery is never a reason to feel any shame. Beginning a life of sobriety is very important for your physical and mental health. We really hope this list of steps will help to lead you in the right direction toward a lifelong journey of sobriety. The sooner you get help, the easier it will be to overcome this addiction! Don’t hesitate to call us right away:
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Morning And Evening Routines
Every person should have a wake up and bedtime routine. It should be something that powerfully rouses you from the depths of sleep and something that puts the day into context and winds it down.
Many people pick up their phones first thing in the morning and then BOOM. Off to the races. Even worse off, they finish off their day with a phone in hand or looking at some sort of screen. Never before has someone been surrounded by so much stuff, unable to put attention on the goose that lays the golden eggs themselves.
In a routine to begin or start the day, you focus on yourself and aligning yourself or recharging yourself. You can do this through a yoga session, meditation, working out, reading a physical book, goal-setting, or journaling. Ive written all about morning and evening routines before, so give it a look if youre interested.
Boredom is one of the most painful things any human being can experience.
Why?
Because its hard to be alone with yourself or your thoughts.
When untrained, the mind is like a wild dog that wont stop barking. At its worst, it is like a merciless judge who only seeks to condemn.
In order to hopscotch past the rigorous process of disciplining the mind, many people turn to distraction. Today, this distraction is in the form of mindless Internet addiction.
Facing Addiction In America: The Surgeon General’s Report On Alcohol Drugs And Health
This executive summary of the Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health addresses alcohol, illicit drugs, and prescription drug misuse in the United States. Chapters of the report cover neurobiology, prevention, treatment, recovery, health systems integration, and recommendations for the future.
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Get Professional Help And Support
When addictions get out of hand, they not only put you in harms way but also put the people you care about in danger.
If your addictions are getting out of control, then the best course of action is to seek professional help. Counselors and Therapists are trained to handle addictions and can become a great support mechanism on your road to recovery.
Start The Dopamine Detox
This last one is a bit controversial and thats ok. I dont expect everyone to do it. In the past couple of years, many people in various self-improvement niches have been calling for and pushing for a concept known as the dopamine detox or dopamine fast. This is a mode and state of being where you limit or completely eliminate sources that stimulate an unnatural dopamine response.
Of course, this is a lot of things that involve the Internet in some way such as social media, gaming, or mindless Internet browsing. The real purpose of this is to get you motivated and get you hooked on things that dont involve unnecessary stimulation. This is how people in the past lived and how they were motivated to do things in the real world. People today might find it unnecessary and just will not do it.
In Charles Duhiggs book The Power of Habit, he speaks of certain habits being activated by certain triggers and cues.
For example, your alarm clock rings you either get up out of bed or hit the snooze button. Your alarm clock is a trigger.
Since the brain is a large network of interconnected nodes, neurons, synapses, and axons, that makes the brain similar to a chain. One thought triggers another thought, which triggers another thought. This creates a series of related actions. This is largely subconscious, once it reaches the point of habit.
Ive written a deep dive into the dopamine detox, check it out if that interests you.
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What Is Drug Addiction Therapy
Today, there are a lot of facilities offering drug addiction treatments. These facilities offer a wide array of treatments to help battle drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction treatment centers monitor clients closely to negate the possibility of relapse, while offering healthy coping skills to replace the addiction.
Since drug addiction is seen as a chronic disorder, there will be instances that you need multiple episodes of care. Even after you have completed treatment, youll need to be regularly monitored by your team of doctors, nurses, and therapists. This ensures that you stay drug-free.
Dont worry professionals will be with you 100% of the way. Know the best addiction treatment option for you before getting treatment.
Keep Your Immediate Environment Sugar Free
Why tempt yourself? Dont allow any sweets in your home or on your work desk as you begin overcoming your addiction. Once you have more control over your cravings, and have lowered your sugar threshold, you can decide if you can handle having sugar in your home.
Creating a temptation-free environment allows you to make healthy choices without the fight of will-power. As you may have experienced, will-power is a frequent loser, so dont rely on it to get you through your addiction.
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Cultivate A Better Environment
Your environment or community might lead to your excessive pornography consumption. Maybe you have friends that often encourage or talk about their porn usage. Maybe the internet access makes it so convenient and accessible for you to get tempted to view more pornography. So these are the things you should avoid, in order to cultivate a better environment.
Here Is What You Can Do To Be Helpful:
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Have the conversation
The first thing you need to do as soon as you notice a loved one has a gambling problem is to talk to them about it.
The sooner, the better.
You need to remember two key factors:
Admitting they have a problem is often times the most challenging part, so do not pressure them into doing it. Instead, create a safe space for them to open up and talk calmly about it.
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Offer them support
What your loved one needs in this situation most is support, especially from the people they care about.
Here are your best strategies:
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Do not blame yourself
Depending on the nature of your relationship with the person suffering from gambling addiction, you may find yourself in the position of blaming yourself for the problem.
Keep in mind
You cannot force them to acknowledge their problem or proceed to stop it. You can try to help, but do not forget that the only person who can fix the problem is the gambler themselves.
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Prepare yourself to face the problem
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Be patient
What not to do?
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Get The Proper Mindset For Recovery By Tricking Your Mind
The most difficult part of breaking a bad habit is starting. The beginning is always the biggest challenge. The biggest step actually takes place in your mind. The conscious decision to beat an addiction is the most important step. Sometimes, the thought of quitting an addictive substance or activity for good is very intimidating. However, you can actually trick your mind into beginning. An effective way of doing this is to tell it that you are only going to commit to the addiction change for 30 days and then you will be free to go back to it. This is a very controversial way of going about recovery but it works. It puts your mind at ease by eliminating the intimidating nature of the recovery process such that it does not seem so difficult anymore. Once you begin and stay the course for 30 days, you find that you do not want to go back into it. You will have discovered an easier, healthier, more fulfilling way of life.
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How Addictions Can Affect You
The strain of managing an addiction can seriously damage your work life and relationships. In the case of substance misuse , an addiction can have serious psychological and physical effects.
Some studies suggest a person’s risk of becoming addicted is partly genetic, but environmental factors, such as being around other people with addictions, are also thought to increase the risk.
Behaviours such as substance misuse can be a way of blocking out difficult issues. Unemployment and poverty can trigger addiction, along with stress and emotional or professional pressure.
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Find An Activity That Means Something To You
You may want to start an exercise routine — exercise releases brain chemicals called endorphins, which can make you feel good. Or you might rather spend time volunteering for a good cause, like an animal shelter or childrens hospital. Whatever it is, new activities can lead to new friends with interests like yours.
Continued
Eating Sugar When Youre Already Full
The desire to eat that big bowl of ice cream or sugary treat doesnt have to show up on an empty stomach. Feeling an intense desire to eat sugar even when youre full is another sign of sugar addiction.
The act of eating stimulates your appetite, so it is not unusual to feel like you want a little something extra after a meal.
However, if you ignore this feeling or distract your attention away from it, it should soon go away as your brain tells you that you are full.
If it does not, and you find yourself unable to detach from cravings for dessert, it may indicate a sugar addiction. There is research using animal models that support this idea.
The studies show that being sugar dependent may lead to a delay in satisfaction after a meal. In summary, sucrose-dependent animals have a delayed satiation response, drink more sucrose, and release more than sucrose- or binge-experienced, but non-dependent animals.
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We Provide The Support You Need To Rebuild Your Life
Reach out to our team today at .
It is exhausting being under the chokehold of addiction. It wears you out mentally, physically, socially, and financially. No matter what countless reasons led you here, youve finally said enough is enough! Awesome because awareness is the first step! But, keep in mind that it might not happen right away. Especially for people whove struggled with addiction for years, it can take just as long to quit. Rarely people are successful on their first try, but those who are successful keep pushing, taking it one day at a time.
Start with one tool that you feel speaks to you the most. Once you feel comfortable with this and youve found yourself doing this almost subconsciously, move on to the next. Slowly build these habits into your everyday life and before you know it, youll have changed your entire lifestyle and be living a happier clean-free life from addiction.
Coalition Recovery offers professional addiction treatment in Tampa Bay. If youre ready to put a stop to addiction, reach out to our team today.
Educate Yourself About Gambling Addiction
Read as much as you can about gambling addiction. Educate yourself, especially about your particular type of gambling. Find out what type of gambler you are and whether you have a gambling problem and have crossed over this invisible line. Are you an escape or an action gambler? Find out what some of your triggers are, as this can help a lot. When you read about gambling addiction, especially the power that it can have on your psyche, you may think twice about going out and placing a bet.
The resources at the end of this article may be of some help to you.
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