Almost 20 million Americans battle with a substance abuse disorder. If you’re in the throes of addiction, you know how hard it is to stay motivated to get off drugs. You know that it’s healthier to stop taking drugs, but the addiction is currently too strong.
There’s a lot of advice out there, and a lot of people giving their own opinions on how to stop doing drugs. All of the information can wind up pulling you in too many directions.
This article will walk you through a basic, bare-bones guide to overcoming drug addiction.
Assess the Problem
Drug addiction almost never comes out of nowhere. Find out what’s led you to take up drugs, and led you down the dark road to addiction.
Do you feel anxious and depressed often, leading you to take drugs? You might have an undiagnosed mental health disorder. Mental health disorders are linked to substance abuse problems.
If one of your problems was a drug user, you might have picked up the habit from them. Though there’s no “drug addict gene”, children learn from their parents subconsciously.
Maybe your life was completely on track, and you didn’t start using drugs until you fell in with a certain crowd. A lot of youth, club, and party cultures focus on the use of drugs, which can get people addicted in a short amount of time.
Get Treatment
Once you’ve figured out what your problem is, you’re better able to focus on treatment.
If you’re suffering from a drug addiction, but it’s not so severe that you can continue your everyday life, you should consider an outpatient program. Outpatient programs are like therapy, you take yourself to them at your convenience. There are also intensive outpatient programs for people who need more care.
If your addiction has become so debilitating that you don’t think you can trust yourself to stay sober at home, or don’t think you could make it to treatment, consider an inpatient program. There are also partial hospitalization programs, where you essentially live at the hospital during the day but are allowed to go home at night.
Choosing the right Drug Treatment is instrumental in getting you off drugs.
Keep the Ball Rolling
Once you get out of drug treatment, you have to find ways to keep the ball of sobriety rolling. Consider joining a twelve-step program, where other people can help you out with their learned advice.
You should take up interests, such as sports, reading, or art-creation with your newfound free time. These interests will add a new spark of joy into your life, and keep you from getting bored.
Get Off Drugs Today
There are many different therapy philosophies. However, at the end of the day, the goal is one thing — get off drugs. Whatever works for you is best in the world of drug treatment.
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