In many ways all addictions are the same. It doesn’t matter what it is, kicking it requires the same steps and has the same problems to overcome.
What I’m going to do here is talk you through 10 steps to beating any addiction. It could be crystal meth, but it could be anything.
This obviously isn’t exhaustive. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that once you’ve been through this list you look for help. You may be entitled to free help if you can’t afford it, and any help and support is better than going alone.
I’ll also say it’s a general thing, but exercise is crucial. Exercise and lift your mood, get you fitter and healthier, and removes depression and lowers anxiety. It’s incredible to do. Even if you just go for a walk clean, it can really change things.
If you can get out into the countryside do so. Try and get away from your usual environment and the people. Try and do something energetic every day, get your blood pumping, and focus on incremental fitness.
#1 Admit To Yourself And Others There Was A Problem
You’ll never quit if you don’t admit there’s a problem in the first place. That applies to any issue in life. Once you recognize it, you have to confront it and admit it. That’s half the battle to beating it.
Once you’ve admitted it, once it’s out in the open with you, admit it to other people. You will feel better in doing so. Join a support group about drugs or alcohol as this can also help you to admit the problem and discuss it openly.
This will give you the strength and courage to face addiction. But more than that, once you start that admittance process, it will unlock the underlying reasons for starting this addictive behavior in the first place and allow you to confront those as well.
A lot of drugtaking and alcoholism is about denial. It’s about shutting down your emotions and feelings, both current and past, drowning them and smashing them, so you can feel numb. Admittance and confrontation are the first step away from this.
#2 Reflect On The Type Of Addiction You Have
You should reflect on the addiction you have. Why is it an addiction? Do you have more than one? How bad are they when you are honest with yourself. How much money are they costing, and what is the fallout in your life because of it?
You could reflect simply by staying clean and looking at the state of things. Being honest about finances, personal relationships, your parents, anything and everything.
Also, a great trick is to start a daily journal about how you feel about your life. Write about your honest feelings, the ups and downs.
Also, that will help you to be honest and start to reflect. You will start to spot patterns, triggers, and what is motivating you (other than the addiction itself) to continue.
#3 Seek Professional Help And Support Where Possible
There can be more professional help out there than you realize. If you haven’t got money, and if it’s a serious addiction you probably haven’t, then there are free resources depending on the country you are in.
There are also online resources and people you can turn to. In most cities in developed countries there will be help groups and places you can go.
If you have the money, there are a range of things you can do from day centers to residential ones, through to professional counselling and guidance.
Just because you can’t afford something, don’t panic and think that it means you can’t succeed. There is always a resource out there somewhere that can help you.
#4 Focus On The Benefits Of Being Clean In Your Life
As part of the honesty of change, you should look at the benefits of being clean or sober (or both).
Look at co-occurring problems, such as anxiety and depression. Are they caused by the addiction, or are you using the addiction to manage them?
So the benefits aren’t just being clean. They aren’t just about money. It can be about dealing with a lot of other garbage that is built up.
Look at everything from interpersonal relationships, to the future, money, your goals and desires, literally all of the potential benefits now and in the future, both directly and indirectly.
Doing this can be potent because it can make you realize there’s so much that you could do didn’t have the addiction to fight and cloud everything.
#5 Remove The Situations And People Which Feed Your Addiction
One of the first, and biggest, things you can do to start kicking your habit is to remove yourself from the situations and people which feed the addiction you have.
If it’s alcohol, then obviously the bar visits are the danger, followed by the shop with the cheap alcohol.
Don’t go to the bar. Meet people elsewhere. Don’t go to the shops, get food delivered or get someone to go for you.
Avoid the people who feed the addiction. If it’s a certain friend who you always get smashed with, always take meth with, then tell them that time is up, or the nature of your friendship has to change.
Sometimes you have to remove people from your life to remove the danger from your life, and that means being tough and ruthless when you want to kick the habit.
#6 Identify The Triggers Which Lead To Addictive Behavior
There are often triggers which lead to addictive behavior. Social occasions, certain people, certain moods and feelings.
It could be triggers from your past. Abuse, conditioning, people. It could be how your mind works under stress.
If you sat there and decides you are never going to take meth (or whatever you are addicted to) again, then what changes that? Is it just the sheer desire to take more, or is that desire triggered (or strengthened) by other things?
#7 Analyze Yourself And Be Honest About What Started The Behavior
You’re going to have to be honest if you want to beat this. That means looking at how it started. How it developed, and where you are now.
I’m telling you; you will look at things and realize certain triggers kick this off and when they kick back in you get worse again. You will fall back on drugs for certain reasons, and even certain people. It could be certain emotions, or it could be several things combined.
Every time you come down, analyze what made you go up. Where you were, and the exact reasons why.
Once you understand what is causing it, from the very beginning, to what triggers it most of the time now, you will see the trends that you have to beat.
Once you understand what makes it worse, you can focus on avoiding that, or dealing with that root cause.
#8 Make Active Changes To Your Environment
If you try and quit but don’t change anything else then you will probably fail.
You need to change your routines. Change your habits. Change the people and situations around you as much as possible. Relapse chances are much higher if you stick to the same routines as when you were using.
If this means you have to change where you live, or the people you hang around with, or the places you go, then so be it. If it’s the chance to get clean and be successful, then you have to be strong.
#9 Do Simple Things Every Day To Make Progress And Track It
A great way to keep track is to write a daily diary. I know it sounds cheesy, especially in this day and age of technology, but you can write a private one online if you want.
It allows you to look back and track your progress. See how you felt three months ago, compared to how you feel now. You will be amazed what you forget, and what you put to the back of your mind deliberately.
As well as tracking what you do, try and have a set of rules to live by every day.
In the beginning it could be as simple as eating and drinking every day. Then focusing on eating the right things at the right times to get some routine and regular energy to fight with.
#10 Reward Yourself And Don’t Beat Yourself Up About Relapses
In the beginning, giving up is going to be really tough. You will have relapses and you will have real struggles. At times you will feel in utter despair of ever giving up.
But you can, and with the right attitude and people around you, then you will.
You mustn’t beat yourself up when you do have a relapse. Acknowledge it’s going to happen. Don’t use it as an excuse, if it does happen, don’t go crazy the other side of it trying to overcompensate. Admit the mistake, analyze the reasons why, and go again.
It may be that the relapses are frequent, but over time less and less frequent. That’s another reason to write a daily diary so you can track how things are going.
