Recovery

“Recovery is not a race. You don’t have to feel guilty if it takes you longer than you thought it would.”

-Unknown

What is addiction and more importantly, can it be conquered at its worst stage?

In the simplest terms, addiction can be classified as something that grows from a want to a dependancy to an absolute necessity.

As for the second question, most health experts or those in the medical field agree that a need for anything can always be diminished as long as it didn’t stem from a natural disease.

For example, if you have diabetes and have to take insulin, chances are you’ll never be able to stop taking it once you start. I’m of course speaking in broad terms and not about the handful of “miracle” cases that have indeed weaned off of insulin.

But a street drug, alcohol or any substance that creates an intoxication is never taken to control or prevent a disease. It’s taken, almost always, to temporarily mask a pain be it physical or mental.

The key word there being “temporarily.”

So what comes after?

I won’t discuss physical steps to fight an addiction as that has been done before on this site. Rather, I want to share a few psychological tips that grief counselors have shared with me in the past.

The first thing to remember is that withdrawal symptoms do go away at some point even if at the time, it feels like they won’t. It’s just like the initial high you feel when you first take a narcotic; at some point it wears off. As does the dependancy on the narcotic.

Secondly, it takes time. Very often we compare ourselves to others thinking, if they got over it so fast, why can’t we? Everyone’s minds and bodies operate differently. If your recovery period is not as smooth as someone else’s, don’t sweat it.

Lastly, always remember that you’re worth it no matter what. Addicts tend to lose a lot of people’s support during their worst periods which makes the sitiuation ten times worse. But no matter who’s with you and who’s not, you’re still an individual that deserves happiness if you’re willing to work for it and admit you have a problem.

Have you ever fought an addiction? Was it difficult or easy? Share your thoughts below.

“If you can quit for a day, you can quit for a lifetime.”

-Benjamin Alire Saenz

What is addiction? Medically, it’s defined as a reward to the neurological part of your body that eventually becomes a dependency.

In layman’s terms, it’s a want that eventually becomes a need.

In previous posts, I have written about two key components that are significant factors when fighting an addiction. Mindfulness and self-respect.

Allow me to expand on how the two specifically relate to addiction.

Mindfulness helps admitting you have a problem which is universally recognized as the first step to conquer any addiction.

Self-respect takes you one step forward and instill a desire to want to change.

To take that train of thought even farther, according to the Stanton Peele Addiction website, the desire to change comes from establishing certain values to your life which will in turn, provide the motivation to take action.

If you value your children, you try beat the addiction for them.

If you value your career, you try to beat the addiction in fear that you will no longer be competent and lucid to perform any task.

If you value your significant other, you try to beat the addiction to keep them close to you.

Obviously, these are all just preliminary steps. A road to recovery can be relatively simple or a task and a half, depending on the circumstances and the individual combating the addiction.

But most experts in this area of study agree that these steps provide a pretty solid springboard if completed properly.

To sum up, admit you have a problem. Then think about your values and who and what you’re hurting with the addiction and how you can resolve that.

Have you ever battled an addiction? Are you close to someone is currently doing so? Comment about it below.