Addiction is a terrible battle to have to face on your own. Some even argue that it’s impossible to defeat addiction on your own. That’s why if you’re in Western Australia you might find drug counselling and addiction help in Perth to help get you started on the road to recovery. But is there nothing one can do for themselves when facing addiction? What about if you can only meet with your professional help once a week? What can you do on all the other days?
Below are some self-help tips for fighting addiction on the days when you find yourself more alone.
1. Never Deny the Addiction
When you’re alone or perhaps chatting to others, it’s crucial that you don’t slip into denial about your problem. It’s not a cliche to say that admitting there is a problem is the first step towards solving it. Therefore, you have to be honest about your addiction to yourself and others around you who know. It’s not to say you go blurting it out to every stranger, but never trying to cover it up or rationalise it to your friends and loved ones is critical.
Part of not denying the addiction is also accepting the past for what it is. You’ll reflect on it (see below) and often be mortified by things that you’ve done, but you should also learn to accept it and move on. Allowing oneself to wallow in guilt and shame will only serve to trigger the addiction or other unhealthy behaviours.
2. Self-Reflection
In the time between your counselling sessions, a very useful activity you can do is to self-reflect on your addiction, what it’s done to you and to those around you. By reflecting, you can start to appreciate the gravity and seriousness of the problem, and start to focus on solutions that are going to keep you from feeling those negative emotions you associate with that addiction.
When people are trying to quit smoking or drinking, they often reflect on how bad their hangovers were, or how rough and uncomfortable cigarettes made their throat, or how others reacted badly to their drunken behaviour or smoke smell. Reflection is about acknowledging others’ perspectives and thinking about how you can avoid repeating mistakes.
3. Manage Your Triggers
Your professional counsellor might have already helped you to properly identify the things that trigger your addiction. It might be stress, uncomfortable emotions, social isolation or something else. Once you know what your triggers are, it’s important to then focus on avoiding them. This invariably means making some changes in your life, such as moving out of a house where friends are engaging in that same addiction, avoiding stressful situations, or finding a supportive roommate to help you feel less isolated and support your recovery.
4. Take Exercise
Daily exercise of virtually any sort will prove hugely beneficial to your addiction recovery. It’s not just about replacing your down time with physical activity, but also helping to reduce stress, restore healthy brain function, minimise cravings and build self-esteem. If you can exercise with others, it’s even better because you can help build each other up and create a stronger atmosphere of positivity.
5. Be Kind to Yourself
It’s always nice to have supportive friends and family who are helping you through hard times, but you have to also remember to be good and kind to yourself. Repeat positive mantras in the mirror, and say positive things about yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, then write some things down, focusing on things that you’re proud of and things you’ve accomplished. Every day that you don’t let your addiction win is a small victory.
