Addiction is a complex illness with a biological, sociological, and psychological components. Look at the ways to overcome addiction by yourself at home. It is an inability to stop any habit, consuming a chemical substance, or inactivity even though it’s causing psychological and physical harm.
Here are a few terminologies to understand:
- Controlled substance: a dug that is reported to have abuse liability and listed on the government schedule of a controlled substance
- Dependance: a state characterized by signs and symptoms opposite of those caused by drug open sudden withdrawal from chronic use. It is also known as physical and psychological dependence. Its mean body fails to maintain its normal physiological function and exhibits its dependence on an addictive substance.
- Tolerance: It happens when a person no longer responds to a drug in the way they did first. So it takes a higher dose of the drug to achieve the same effect compared to the initial level of dose.
- Abstinence syndrome refers to signs and symptoms that occur on the drug’s withdrawal in a dependant person.
Myths about addiction
1. Addiction is just a lack of self-control
Addiction cause impairment in the central nervous system’s motor functions and influences the overall body mechanism and physiology.
2. Occasionally used of any dug cant make you addicted
Occasional but repeated use of any addictive substance can make you addictive.
3.It’s so easy to leave an addiction
Well, telling someone to leave any addiction is easy, but practically it’s a long struggle that demands patience and consistency.
4. It’s a matter of willpower to overcome your addiction
Chronic use and prolonged exposure to addictive substances alter your brain, resulting in powerful cravings. It’s complicated to quit with only the force of your will.
5. Being addicted is your own choice
Not everyone intakes alcohol or drugs to get fun and to experience it. There are many other contributing factors like trauma, genetics, living pretty miserable lives, etc. This forces people to step into the world of fantasies to escape bitter realities.
6. It can be treated through counseling
Well, counseling is critical, but sometimes chronic situations require medication.
7. You can only get addicted to alcohol or dug
In reality, addiction can be of anything. Any habit or activity that doesn’t let you live without it comes under “addiction.”
Things that can become your addiction
The term addiction is not only confined to only drugs and alcohol. Addiction can think of anything; it may be minor not to notice or significant enough to influence every aspect of your life. It is necessary to know about the common substance that tends to cause addiction in everyday daily life.
- Smartphones
- Social media
- Gambling
- Caffeine
- Chocolate
- Fast food
- Exercise
- Sex
- Alcohol
- Sedative drugs
- Emotional dependence
Ways to overcome addiction on your own
It’s not easy to have enough courage and to break a bad habit. It is a difficult task to do on your own, but it’s not impossible.
Here are a few tips that help you to get rid of any addiction. Before starting this, it is worth noting that it’s a long process that requires patience, time consistency, and the candidate’s interest and willpower.
1. Admit that you have an addiction
The first step is to admit that you have an addiction. It may be of any game or drug, but it exists and has been made you so depend on it. Addiction to anything has some serious consequence, either physically or mentally. Denying your addiction as a random habit of your life or justifying that you need it won’t help you. Be honest to yourself and brave enough to accept that specific habit or activity that has become your addiction.
2. Give valid reasons to break a habit
It is indeed an excellent idea to keep this process logical and factual. Before going to break any habit:
- Give yourself enough reasons that why you want to quit it.
- In case of smoking or alcohol consumption, remind yourself that it’s not a good thing for your health and may result in lung cancer, fatty liver disease, etc.
- If other addictions like caffeine in the form of coffee or tea, evaluate yourself if it helps you refresh your mind or gives energy.
You may also create a comparison between the positive and negative effects of addiction in your life. It will help you decide that if addiction gives you temporary pleasure at the cost of permanent damage, it will be a wise step to leave it.
3. Ask someone to help
Throughout your life, you need people to help you go through a difficult phase of life. Overcoming your addiction is somehow tricky, and it’s mandatory to seek help from your relative, family member, or friend.
Choose a trustworthy friend, take him into confidence, and discuss that you want to leave this addiction. In this process, your friend can help you by keeping your morale high, gentle reminders not to give up your struggle, and appreciating your decision. It will support you emotionally.
4. Find a hobby
Before breaking your habit, make a plan to replace it with another hobby so you won’t miss it. It will help you to minimize the recurrence of addiction. Otherwise, you will be going to miss the temporary pleasure at that specific time.
For example, if you used to smoke at 5 pm, try to start some exercise. Finding a hobby of your interest helps you distract from that specific addition and keep engaged in your spare time.
There are more chances of returning to the same addiction in free time without any hobby or festive activity.
5. Make slow but continue moves
Addiction should not be quitted suddenly or all at once. It would help if you progressed slowly either by minimizing the duration of addictive activity or reducing the amount of consumption of addictive substances.
Let’s suppose you are addicted to social media and used it for 14 to 18 hours, then try to reduce this time day by day.
In case of addiction to drugs or alcohol, you should lower the amount of consumption by proper consultation with a health care professional. Keep in mind that sudden withdrawal from any addiction might be more risky and dangerous.
In the case of alcohol, it may occur alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
6. Give yourself love and time
Self-love is a substantial cause that helps you to get rid of addiction. You should remind yourself that you love yourself more than any addiction and won’t let it destroy your life. Another approach is to give yourself more time, start investing in yourself, make an effort to grow and groom. Its also necessary that quitting any addiction needs time, from weeks to months. It may extend to the year also.
How to train yourself to overcome addiction by yourself
Well before starting this discussion, let’s talk about some facts. Any habit is not harmful till it becomes an addiction. The reason is that now you are depending on it physically or emotionally and find it so hard to live without it.
This situation gives rise to criminal thoughts and crimes. An individual who is ready to do “anything” to satisfy his addiction is a scary idea.
The addictive persona doesn’t think about the consequences as his only need is to get that “drug.” This makes a massive difference between habit and addiction. You may have a good habit of reading books at night, but are you ready to kill someone for the sake of books? Are you driving crazy if you don’t get access to any book? The answer is NO.
Addictions destroy the power of the brain to think that what will come next?. It somehow makes the victim selfish. The only motive of his life is to continue his addiction at any cost. Now here you need to keep a balance in your life. Playing a game is not sinful but madly addicted to it is not good.
Evaluating your activities is also necessary. As a human, don’t lead your life blindly and ask yourself why you do so? Either to get some temporary pleasure or just for fun? Can I replace it with some positive activity or not? This self-assessment helps you to decide and choose wisely and you can train yourself to not get addicted.
Conclusion
The modern world gives rise to so many addictions. Intentionally or non intentionally, it becomes a burning issue to overcome any addiction. It might be difficult but not impossible. It’s better to avoid any addiction that may disturb your mental health or career.
If you are addicted to something, you still have a chance to overcome it with firm determination and willpower. You deserve to free from addiction, and you can.