11 significant Addiction recovery Steps & Strategies
Step 1. 'Truth It' aka Being Honest with Yourself. Face it, addictive behaviour is a question in your life. It has stripped away far more than it has ever given back. Addiction hurts your health, your relationships, your finances, your sense of self worth, your peace of mind and perhaps your legal status. Admit the truth to yourself - addiction creates and never solves problems.
11 significant Addiction recovery Steps & Strategies
Recovery Strategy: Make a list of the personal costs of addiction, and the benefits you stand to gain by stopping this destructive behaviour. Focus on identifying the top benefits you want to perform from recovery. This will help keep you oriented towards the positive. Make copies of your list and keep it in places where you can get quick passage when needed. For example, your bedside table, your mirror, your bag, etc. Identifying 'costs' and 'benefits' will give your salvage leverage, as you will have a concrete reminder of where you want to be - your goals, and where you don't want to ever end up again - the toll. This genuinely helps on those days when you find yourself dealing with cravings or triggers, and struggling to hold onto your vision of a better life. Instead of scrambling to try and remember what you want to perform by avoiding addictive behaviour - at a time when it is difficult to think rationally - you will have a ready-made list of motivators to help guide your choices.
Step 2 - Make A Decision To Stop All Addictive Behaviour. Make a commitment to overcome the process of addiction, not just isolated compulsive behaviours. In other words, if you determine to stop drinking, then stop any other compulsive behaviours may be running interference in your life (e.g. Cigarettes, internet porn, food addiction, workaholism, etc.). Studies show that habitancy who focus on overcoming the big photo of addiction have longer term flourishing salvage from their 'main' addictive habit. Based on the assessment of 'benefits' of stopping versus the 'costs' of persisting you conducted in Step 1, you should have the leverage you need to supply a solid rationale for taking your life back from addiction. Tell someone you can trust - it will help you be accountable. (If you don't know anyone who fits that description, associate with a help line, addiction counsellor or group. More on this strategy in Step 3)
Recovery Strategy: Tell the someone you confide in what you would like them to do if they see signs that you are slipping, e.g. Leveling with you. Share your goals (from Step 1) with them, so they can remind you of the life you are aiming for - relaxation from the slavery of addiction. This is especially helpful if you are prone to 'recovery amnesia' (minimizing how bad things were), or romanticizing the bad old days. Start thinking about added actions you can take to hold your progress. It can be inviting to think clearly while the early stages of recovery. So to help yourself stay on track, make sure you write down your ideas and plans.
Step 3 - associate With Formal salvage Supports. If you need curative detox, make arrangements with an addiction physician or nurse. This is particularly vital for seclusion from alcohol and benzodiazepines (tranquilizers), which in some cases can cause seizures. Often detox can be done safely at home with some curative supports in place. If you want guidance - very recommended! - arrange to see an addiction counsellor and/or attend a salvage group. Addiction counselling can help you do the 'emotional' salvage work that is so vital to relapse prevention and psychological well being. The 12 and 16 step groups have a generic spiritual foundation, whereas groups such as Life Ring, Rational salvage and Smart are based on wholesome conscious choices and rational thinking.
Recovery Strategy: These days, detox facilities and protocols can be found easily on the internet. Local self-help salvage groups can also be found online. Even if you think you are not a 'group person' and want to wait to see a counsellor, peer hold groups can help you feel less alone by providing a salvage community. Many habitancy in salvage advantage from hold groups in increasing to counselling or vice versa - it doesn't have to be an 'either or' proposition. However, it's leading to find a salvage path that feels like a good personal fit. One size doesn't fit all.
Step 4 - create a 'Water Tight' Relapse prevention Plan. identify your triggers and high risk situations. Triggers can be any emotions, thoughts, beliefs, actions, relationships or situations that make you want to engage in compulsive behaviours. Understand the legitimate needs behind your triggers, i.e. The need to feel calm, loved, secure, confident, rested, worthy, safe, etc. Find wholesome ways to begin to meet your needs. Avoid 'using buddies' and situations.
Recovery Strategy: As with Step 1, you need to write down your plans. This has many benefits, not the least of which is having a living document that can guide you through inviting or vulnerable situations. Very beneficial if you are believe you might be slipping and are having trouble thinking 'straight'. If you are stuck or could use support, you might reconsider consulting with an addiction counsellor who can help you put together an productive relapse prevention plan.
Step 5 - Be On The Alert For Denial, Minimizing, Overconfidence And Other Forms Of Addictive Thinking. Once you have some salvage time and start to feel better, you may be vulnerable to taking your salvage for granted. Beware of complacent habits and thoughts such as "I'm better now, so I don't need to work on salvage any more"; and "I'm in control again, so I can just do it once", or "I can't deal with this stress without using", etc. This kind of rationalizing can pave the way to relapse.
Recovery Strategy: If you find yourself becoming over confident, refer back to Steps 1 and 4. Use reality based thinking. For example "Wait a minute, have I ever been able to gamble/drink/binge eat/do cocaine etc. Just a puny bit? If I give into this way of thinking, before I know it I'll be gambling/drinking/binge eating/doing cocaine, etc. Compulsively, and my life will rapidly start to go down hill all over again". If you are struggling emotionally, try and frame out what you genuinely need, and frame out a way to get it. Do you need support, to talk to friend, a salvage buddy or a counsellor? By dealing with emotional problems emotionally, true self-confidence - and salvage longevity - will develop.
Step 6 - Stop Secondary Addictive Behaviours Such As Smoking, Binge-Eating, Gambling, Other Drugs, Internet Obsession, etc. Research shows that habitancy who stop the addictive process fully - rather than dealing with one substance or behaviour at a time - have a much higher rate of success with long term recovery.
Recovery Strategy: Don't try and business transaction with yourself by hanging onto other compulsive habits that allow you to continue to flee from life. And don't fall for the old myth of dealing with one addiction at a time. Addiction salvage is a fundamental lifestyle turn - a reorientation. Remember, you are trying to replace unhealthy coping strategies with choices that will help you feel more distinct and in control of your life in the long run. There may be old wounds, current difficulties or problematic relationships that need to be resolved. Understand where your challenges lie, and seek appropriate help such as group support, or private addiction counselling or coaching.
Step 7 - Take Care Of Your Health. Addictive behaviours, especially substance abuse, deplete your body of vital energy, as well as compromise your physical and psychological well being. You may be suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion. Focus on the basics, i.e. Getting enough rest, eating a wholesome diet - avoiding stimulants like sugar and caffeine - and exercising. If in doubt, get a physical exam by a naturopath or physician. Nutritional supplements may be especially leading while the first months. Extra Vitamin D is vital while northern winters, and don't neglect those B vitamins either!
Recovery Strategy: Basic cusine is simple. It revolves nearby a equilibrium of vegetables, fruits, proteins, complicated carbohydrates and wholesome fats. Study also shows that regular physical rehearsal is one the most productive antidotes to depression and anxiety. As one of my clients humorously put it, "It gets the endolphins going"!
Step 8 - Understand Post Acute seclusion Syndrome (Paws). If you were a former substance abuser, you are now curative from the toxic effects of mood altering drugs on your body and brain. You may feel uncomfortable symptoms as you begin to heal. These symptoms can comprise mood swings or 'flat' emotions, memory and concentration problems, racing thoughts, insomnia, unclear thinking and stress. The good news is that this is a temporary situation. The bad news is that Paws can go on for some months. It is very leading that you take steps to administrate your stress well while this time.
Recovery Strategy: Taking care of your condition (Step 7) - is genuinely vital here. This may also be a good time to attend counselling or coaching to help you design stress management skills and emotional resilience that will help your salvage come to be the long term success story you want it to be. The Basics are leading here - Nutrition, Rest, Stress Management, Patience. Remember, you are healing, and this hurt is temporary. Managing this rough patch well will help you build a more solid foundation for long term recovery.
Step 9 - Get Counselling For Psychological Distress. Many habitancy engage in addictive behaviours to 'self-medicate', i.e. flee painful emotions, moods, memories, grief, loss, relationships or symptoms of trauma. You may find yourself feeling anxious, sad, empty, irritable or confused in early salvage as emotions that were being masked by addictive behaviours start to show themselves, or due to Post Acute seclusion Symptoms (Paws). You may also feel grief over time, plans, dreams or relationships lost to addiction. Some habitancy struggle with feelings of shame as they endeavor to get a foothold in recovery. If you are experiencing psychological pain that is interfering with your life, you owe it to yourself to take steps to heal properly. The good news is that help is available, and you do not have to struggle alone. You can design the psychological 'self-management skills' that are so leading to a stable, long term recovery.
Recovery Strategy: Counselling - either private or in a group - can help you find emotional equilibrium more speedily and effectively than attempting to 'white knuckle it' on your own. Read up on the topic of "emotional sobriety" for more facts on overcoming psychological challenges, pain and distress.
Step 10 - Rebuild Your Relationships. Addiction hurts the ones you love. In your leading relationships there is likely - at best - strain, loss of trust and poor communication, and - at worse - breakups, divorce or divorce. If your addictive habits have harmed the ones you love, then by all means apologize. This simple step can go a long way towards rebuilding connection. Reassure your loved one's that addiction is not their fault. Understand it will likely take them time to trust you again. You need to be patient. Encourage those you love to take care of themselves and to get help to understand addiction. Ask what they need from you and offer to help. Note: You may also find yourself at a crossroads where you perceive it may be unhealthy for you to continue with some relationships. So you will have to do some soul searching to determine what relationships need fix and what relationships need to be retired.
Recovery Strategy: Try and focus on being objective and maintaining perspective, rather than becoming upset or reactive. Think of what you want in the long run - good relationships with the habitancy you love and care about. Patience and forgiveness, of yourself and others, are leading virtues to passage here. It takes time and skill to fix relationship ruptures. If you feel stuck or stressed, or confused with regard to how to proceed, or you are dealing with destructive anger in key relationships, concentrate and/or family counselling can often aid in the amelioration of better transportation and the rebuilding of trust.
Step 11 - Get Ongoing Support. Addiction causes isolation. Most habitancy in salvage believe that finding community is vital to healing. either in a group, through counselling or with salvage buddies, you can only advantage by letting distinct habitancy into your life. The solution is to build wholesome connections with others who will hold your salvage success by sharing their friendship and wisdom in the long run.
Recovery Strategy: Developing healthy, supportive relationships and community are two leading cornerstones of recovery. You may have to let some relationships go - especially with habitancy who are active in addiction - in order to avoid relapse and to help yourself stay headed in a distinct direction. If you are introverted, shy or uncertain about how to meet habitancy you may want to start by connecting one-to-one with a counsellor. Most salvage hold groups also understand the 'newbies' apprehension. feel them by phone or email ahead of time and see if you can arrange to have someone accompany you into the meeting and make introductions. Enumerate Step 3 for other ideas or if you are feeling stuck.
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