Some of us have that one struggle that quickly sets us up for failure. That one nauseating pain in our side that we instantly regret doing once done. For some of us, it can sometimes feel like an endless cycle. That’s exactly what an addiction can be described as. It may be trying to quit smoking, having poor spending habits, video games, pornography, and I’m sure the list can go on.
In most cases, we say to ourselves, “This will be my last time,” and then we find ourselves asking that same question: why am I here again? There is always a heavy sigh of regret that follows because you know you can do better within yourself. We must also face the reality that we can’t beat it alone or by simple willpower. We often face the same struggles because we are placing ourselves in the same situations. Is it easy? Of course not. One of the biggest lies your addiction will try and probably succeed in selling you is that you can beat it all on your own. Your addiction wants you to be alone; it feeds on your vulnerability of being isolated from everyone. I want you to know you’re not alone. You don’t have to fight alone; there is help; we must be willing to ask.
According to Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who wrote the book Recover to Live shares, “For others, abusive patterns of use are all about trying to escape the problems in their life by means of a self-medication ritual. They’re not happy. They’re struggling with issues they want to escape, so they get over-involved with gambling, drinking, drugging, and so forth, all of those things that help them disassociate from the challenges and frustrations of life.” What do you think about sitting with yourself or your therapist to understand the reason for your addiction? Sit and ask yourself, “What are you running from?” Exploring this aspect of yourself may very well lead to focusing on the real problem of how your addiction started.
Secondly, begin identifying your triggers. What are environments, people (they can be triggers too), maybe even smells or sounds that increase your chance of using? The feeling to use usually comes in waves, so what would happen if you found five things you can do before turning to your addiction? This technique helps you focus on the task at hand, allowing you to ride out that wave. These are just some healthy tips that aid in our battle against ourselves to become a better version of ourselves. Trust me, I know it’s not easy, but you must take that first step to get a better you. The critical point to remember in this journey: DON’T GIVE UP; keep at it. For every time you fall, get back up. Keep pushing, keep trying.
RM
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