Addiction Recovery: Steps for Benefiting Your Well Being
Take Control of Your Life
Addiction is a devastating, heartbreaking, frustrating, and potentially deadly disease. It affects not only addicts but those around them. Unfortunately, the U.S. is amid an opioid epidemic, with millions of people abusing pain pills and powerful opiates like heroin. In addition, other addictions like alcoholism and cocaine abuse are reaching alarming levels. While this is all frightening news, there is more help available than ever for those in the grips of addiction.
The more we learn about the science behind addiction, the better we can treat it. While there is certainly a genetic link between hereditary and addiction, recovery specialists understand how stress and environmental factors affect the brain. This makes it easier to get addicts on the right path. It can only start, however, if the person who needs help commits to getting it. If you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction, here are some major reasons to seek treatment.
Saving Your Body
Let’s start with an addict’s body. Most people who struggle with addiction know that drugs and alcohol are inherently unhealthy. Some people can set limits and have healthy relationships with alcohol and recreational drugs. Addicts are defined by their inability to control their drug use. In large or even moderate doses, alcohol and other drugs are poisonous to the body’s liver, kidneys and other systems.
Look at recovery as an opportunity to not only save your body but to improve it. Many addicts in recovery find great comfort in making their bodies work better after years of abuse. This can mean starting a healthy diet, using supplements and health-improving products like the Thrive Patch, or establishing an exercise routine.
It must be stressed that before embarking on any of these positive body changes, and even recovery itself, you should receive a physical evaluation. It is difficult to admit that you have a substance abuse problem, but medical professionals should always respect and appreciate your desire to make yourself healthy. It’s important to know objectively how much damage your body has endured. It’s also critical to understand that, depending on your level of dependency, it may be dangerous to stop using “cold turkey.” A physician can explain options and treatments, both medical and psychological as well as, if necessary, in-patient rehabilitation.
Helping Your Family and Friends
One of the many tragedies of addiction is that addicts often feel hopeless and that there’s no point in trying to get clean and sober. They resign themselves to the cycle of addiction and the inevitable grim fate that lies at the end. For those who feel this way, the best solution is for them to think of (or be reminded of) the people around them who love and depend on them. Addiction is a burden not just on users but on their family and friends as well. Luckily, there are support systems like Al-Anon that can help them.
It’s a difficult balancing act to remind addicts that they matter to other people without making them feel guilty. Sometimes professional interventions are necessary. For addicts themselves, it again goes back to seeking medical help to chart an appropriate path to recovery.
Being of Service
Another opportunity that recovery presents is the possibility to be of service to others. This is a key tenet of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step recovery program and is a win-win. Recovering addicts are often bored or anxious without substances to fill their time. Finding healthy hobbies is crucial to sustain recovery. If you can align your hobbies with service projects like volunteering with local nonprofit organizations, it’s an infinite good. Also, if you have reached the point of your recovery where you are comfortable sharing your experiences, or even sponsoring someone who is new to recovery, you can make a huge difference in another person's life!
The first step towards recovery is admitting that you need help and want to change. If you struggle with substance abuse and addiction, hopefully these motivators can set you on the right path.
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