7 Steps And How To Guides For Dealing With Addiction

By Linda Ruiz


If a beloved friend or family member is in the throes of alcohol addiction or drug abuse, it is out of doubt that you want to help him. However, you may not be furnished with the right information and procedure of where to start. This concern may leave you worried and scared about what others will think, how your life will change. In fact, you may feel isolated by all of these feelings together with the helplessness that ensues. Nevertheless, both the addict and his or her friends and family members experiencing a hard time with substance addiction can benefit from this guide. It takes you through the steps and how to guides for dealing with addiction.



The first step towards change is to acknowledge the purpose. This entails determining why you do it. For instance, you could be doing it in order to deal with anxiety. Though it may prove hard to admit the fact that you have a smoking or a drinking problem, be enlightened that you cannot change what you do not acknowledge. Admit to yourself that you are medicating for anxiety, pain and depression and that it numbs you to life.

When faced with the menace, reach outside of the family. The most common mistake that numerous families commit is to try to keep an addiction as a secret and deal with it alone. This disease of addiction is rather sophisticated and tricky, and its recovery commences with the family. However, most families lack the tools and knowledge needed to assist an addict overcome the dependency without the assistance of an outside expert. In addition the addict cannot be counted on to assist himself.

The addict must be helped because he has no ability to free himself. In fact, if he had the coping mechanisms required for self-regulation, he would not have become and addict in the first place. The first procedure to dealing with the situation is thus to reach out for professional help. This can begin by calling out any reputable major treatment center. The centers have a range of specialists, including therapists and doctors, psychiatrists and interventionists that are specialized in the addiction.

Learn healthy ways to keep with stress. Even after recovering from the addiction, you will still face the problems and situations the led to your habit in the first place. In case you started using the substance to calm you down or help you forget about problems, after sobering, the negative feeling will still resurface. Be sure to learn how to address such conditions as loneliness, stress, frustration, anger, anxiety and shame in order for the treatment to be successful. This will help you remain sober for a long time, which is the basis of recovery.

Also, try to identify and understand your danger zones. This can be anything, including a particular time of the day or your reaction to a specific circumstance. There exist some times that you happen to be more prone to indulge in the habit than others. Try recognizing what these times are and perform something that is incompatible with the addiction that you are trying to break. By getting through two or three impulsive moments be sure to get rid of the habit.

Apart from the professional help, family and close relatives come handy in the recovery. They should support you by encouraging you and even knocking the hell out of you when things get tough. Such people should tell you the plain truth when you are not heading in the wrong way.

In addition, change the places you visit frequently, who you hang out with and what you do for fun. Where a computer happens to be a menace, remove the equipment from the house. The most effective way of breaking the habit is not to have access to it.




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