Practice These Tips To End Addiction
Have you noticed anything in common with all of these? They all have one common purpose: improving your mood. This is the fundamental aspect of escaping addiction. So many of us have become accustomed to negative habits, negative people, and negative thinking. Its no wonder why we look to drugs, gambling, sex, social media, and shopping to make us feel better. Fortunately, if you implement these little things into your daily routine little by little, you realize you dont need these things to feel happy.
If you use these methods, they can and will help you. the hardest part is staying motivated. Addiction will often get in the way, so a good way to stay focused is to keep a reminder on you. This could be a motivational quote on your phone lock screen, or a keychain on your car keys anything that can continually remind you that you are on a mission of self-betterment.
Building willpower, especially with an addiction, is near impossible. It takes the fear of not having a job and therefore money to get me and most people out of bed in the morning. Without these motivating factors, many of us would buckle to many of lifes unhealthy habits. While the desire to be free from addiction is strong, it usually doesnt last very long, sometimes not even a few hours. This is why it is smart to have someone who will hold you accountable either a sponsor, family member, or friend. This can keep you motivated throughout your time escaping the clutches of addiction.
Dont Lose Sleep Over It
If you find yourself up late at night playing on your phone, whether it is video games, Facebook, or text messaging, you are losing precious sleep over your addiction. The moment you stop putting energy into caring for your basic needs and pour your time and energy into your phone, you are allowing the phone to dictate your health and well-being. If you catch yourself in this scenario, my advice is to power off your phone an hour before bed time to ensure that your last hour is spent in a meaningful way, and that you get to bed on time to start the next day afresh. Your phone is just not worth losing sleep over.
Now its your turn. Do you find yourself in one of these scenarios? Whats your plan of action to ensure that your phone isnt dictating your life? Please share in the comments below, and lets inspire each other to live healthier, happier, more meaningful lives by not caving into a phone addiction.
If you make your own coffee in the morning, chances are youre only making the same boring kind everyday. Now its time to put an end to the cynical habit and turn you into an instant coffee connoisseur.
For those who dont know, there are officially 38 different ways to make coffee. All, except decaffeinated versions will give you the same buzz that can either make you extremely productive or give you anxiety.
The only difference here is taste. And when it comes to coffee, taste matters. A lot.
Avoiding Replacement Addictive Behaviors
Some people find that when they quit or change an addictive behavior, another comes along to replace it. Heavy drinkers and smokers often find themselves overeating and putting on weight. People struggling with sex addiction might find themselves obsessed with exercise.
Addictive behaviors have similar neurological and psychological processes and create rewarding feelings and sensations. So replacement addictive behaviors are common among those trying to overcome an addiction.
The trick to avoiding replacement addictions is to find satisfaction in the experiences of normal life. These experiences may lack the intensity and high of addictive behaviors, but getting to know and like them can introduce a new level of calm you may have never experienced before.
Many people feel they are more in touch with reality and that relationships are more authentic than when they were constantly seeking pleasure.
The other important aspect of avoiding replacement addictions is to address any underlying mental health problems. Addictions can cover up past trauma, or underlying feelings of emptiness, sadness, or fear. Psychological therapies, as well as medications, can provide long-term relief for these problems, which addictions tend to worsen over time.
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Fate Will Open In The Schedule
To-Do List If youve ever read about personal development, chances are you probably heard of to-do lists at some point. This is your daily work schedule planner. The to-do list app is an application that creates a list of exactly what you will do at any particular time on the day.
If you specify all the working hours of the day in this list and clear that task from the task at the end of the task, you will know which tasks you have not done and which tasks you have to be done. If you try a little more, you will understand which work you have missed for your addiction. These applications will even give you reminders for any important work.
Here is a free app that I use TickTick: To-Do List Planner, Reminder & Calendar
Try To Identify And Avoid Triggers
Try to find out what prompts your substance use.
Maybe you reach for that drink only when youre with certain friends or at a specific restaurant or bar. Perhaps you crave that substance only when youre bored or stressed.
Preventing recurrence of use by being aware of the places, people, or emotions that cause you to reach for that substance can be an important part of your recovery.
Prolonged use of substances can change the brains function and structure. It can affect parts of the brain responsible for:
- reward
abstinence from substance use might give the brain the time it needs to recover from those changes and return to its regular function. Frequent use recurrences, on the other hand, may make recovery longer.
Once youve identified what causes or prompts your substance use, consider developing a plan to manage them and practice avoiding them.
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Ask Yourself What Makes You Enjoy The Tiktok App
Firstly, you need to figure out why you enjoy the app? Yes, it brings us fun and teach us skills so that we are never boring, and it allows us to know the trend. But actually these are not the fundamental reason why it makes you addictive.
Maybe these are the real reasons.
Be Accountable To Someone
In the professional world, people who want to stop procrastinating and boost their productivity and performance use accountability partners. These partners keep them sober and accelerate their rate of recovery.
You also need an accountability partner to help you beat your addiction. You should communicate with your accountability partner at least once or twice a week. Youll share your thoughts, emotions and your progress.
Before you go to the bar, smoke a cigarette or gamble your money remember that youll be accountable for your actions. Your accountability partner should be someone whom you respect and is willing to tell you the truth no matter what.
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Staying Busy And Focused
Mood Swings That Are Extreme
Do you have control over your emotions? Or do they have you under their control? When youre dealing with any form of addiction, you could lose all sense of control. While we all have good and bad days, having significant changes in your emotions could be an indication of something more serious.
Extreme highs and extreme lows characterize love addiction, says Cohan. A person with a problem with love addiction may feel euphoric when attracted to someone in the beginning, but if the connection collapses and they didnt want it to, they are likely to feel it is the end of the world.
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Take Our Do I Have A Substance Use Disorder Self
Take our free, 5-minute Do I Have a Substance Use Disorder? self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with a substance use disorder . The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of an SUD. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result.
Find A Replacement Activity
Find something to replace your gambling. Exercise, go shopping, go out with friends, or do some cooking. You can also rent a movie, listen to some music, or do some reading do whatever it takes to keep yourself busy. You could pick up a new, exciting hobby, like bike racing or climbing or welding.
Your goal is to stop gambling, and it is not easy when you get such a high from it. Finding replacements, however, can help. Try and see how it goes.
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Write Down Harmful Effects
As the title suggests, this step is where you write down every single harmful effect your addiction has had on your life. Do not leave anything out. These effects may include a decline in your physical health, mental health, quality of relationships, and time spent on healthy activities and hobbies. You want to be as specific as possible here.Listing out the harmful effects helps to reinforce your admission that you have a problem, and will help you move forward in this process of getting rid of your addiction, no matter how small it may seem.
Remember How Bad It Feels To Lose
Remember the feeling when you lose a lot of money at the casino, online, or through sports betting. Allow yourself to feel that despondency when you are having thoughts about gambling again. You may find that you are less likely to go out and place a bet. I have done this before, and must admit that these feelings have stopped me from taking that ride to the casino. This hasn’t worked every time, but many times this tool has helped.
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How To Fight Addiction
Addiction and alcoholism cannot be cured. But it can be treated. Here are the tangible steps you can take to reclaim control over your life.
Detox
Detox is about completely removing the substance from your body. You can do it at home or in a medical setting. However, some substances such as alcohol and benzodiazepines can cause massive and potentially deadly withdrawal symptoms. Be sure to do your research beforehand and make a plan.
Therapy
Speaking with a therapist, going to group counseling sessions, and attending 12-step programs are important parts of recovery. Youll learn about addiction itself, how to identify and address the underlying causes, and how to prevent relapse.
Medication
There is no medication that can cure alcoholism. However, in the recovery process, certain medications can ease your withdrawal symptoms to help you better focus on therapy. For opioid users, there are three FDA-approved medications for treatment: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , medication-assisted treatment has proven to be clinically effective for opioid users and reduce the need for inpatient detox services.
Lifestyle changes
Support
Quitting An Addictive Behavior
Quitting is a different experience for everyone. Some find the process liberating and empowering, and feel they can achieve anything. Others find it painful, difficult, and frustrating, sometimes needing many failed attempts before achieving their goal. Still others discover new sides to themselves during the quitting process .
There is no “right” way to feel while you are quitting. But if you are feeling depressed or find yourself constantly wanting to return to the addictive behavior, you should seek support and treatment.
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Stay Away From People Who Encourage Addiction
If you want to stop using drugs, you wont make any progress by associating with drug abusers often. You have to surround yourself with people who focus on their health and indulge in positive habits such as exercising, traveling, eating healthy foods, journaling and striving to achieve their dreams.
Since you are an addict, its likely that your closest friends are addicts too. When you start your recovery journey, your friends may not understand why you dont hang out with them anymore. Yet, it is necessary to keep a distance.
The same applies to gambling, food, sex or any other kind of addiction. Your closest friends are a reflection of who you are.
Controlling Behavior After An Addiction
Even if your goal was to quit completely, you may decide at some point in the future that you want to be able to occasionally indulge without doing so excessively. This is possible, but it is important to be very clear about what it is you want to do.
For example, if you want to be able to have an occasional drink with friends, then you need to be able to have one drink and then stop.
Many drinkers find it easier to stay completely abstinent than to drink occasionally. If you intend to have one drink and end up having several, you should reassess your goals and what is achievable for you at this time of your life. This might be a new experience for you, and it could be liberating. It could also seem boring and difficult.
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Meditate To Relieve Stress
If there is one thing you take away from this article it would be the power of meditationif you were to start with one thing this would be it. Here are just some scientifically-backed benefits of meditation:
If there was ever a panacea for the brain I think this would be it. And the best part about it? Meditation can be done anywhere and anytime.
If you are unsure where to start, there are a variety of meditation videos on . There are also a variety of apps like Headspace and FitMind that offer a free trial for the first couple of sessions. There are certain guided meditations with different purposes like reducing anxiety, self-empowerment, or inner peace. Whatever your goal is, you can find a meditation for you. Starting out, guided meditation apps and videos are helpful to gain an understanding of how meditation works. After a couple of sessions, youll have to power to meditate anywhere you want!
Three Ways To Overcome Addiction
by Dispose My Meds | Aug 6, 2020 | Recovery |
Free resources for individuals and medical providers on this topic are available at Drug Treatment/Prevention.
Addiction is a hard battle that many are facing. No one chooses to become an addict, and it does not happen overnight. Perhaps you have been struggling with addiction for a long time and you would like to come out of its crippling, cold grasp. You are probably aware that the road to recovery is a long one, but with determination and hard work, you can successfully kick your addiction and begin living the life you deserve. Here are three ways you can start your journey today.
Struggling with addiction is a lonely, isolating path. The reason you are choosing to break away from its ugly restraints is because you want to have a better life. Not only do you deserve it, it is already there waiting for you. All you have to do is ignite the flame, and try your best to never look back. Be proud of any accomplishments you make on this journey and share those moments with those who want nothing but the best for you. You are well on your way to living a happy, healthy, and sober life.
: Adam CookReprinted with permission from The Prevention Coalition.
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