How to Strengthen Your Motivation When Dealing with Addictions

Struggling with addictions is a stressful situation, since drugs expose you to health, social, and economic risks. Health-wise, for example, alcohol abuse poses risks such as hypertension, liver cirrhosis, as well as impotence. Socially, drugs tend to create a wall between you and your loved ones, thus affecting your relationships. Economically, you will require money to sustain a drug habit.

You may also quickly lose your job. These effects eventually lower the quality of life. Thus, at some point, one decides to stay clean from all sorts of drugs. Unfortunately, quitting an addiction isn’t a walk in the park either, as it comes with its share of challenges, such as intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Once you take up this journey, it becomes vital to keep your motivation high throughout the recovery duration. Below are some of the ways you can strengthen your motivation while dealing with addictions:

1. Make a conscious decision to quit

The journey to sobriety will require you first to be sure that you are ready to quit. It is not until you decide that you will start noticing changes. It is not until you reevaluate the consequences that drugs have posed to you and your loved ones that your motivation will remain high. Outcomes, such as the possibility of death, should motivate you towards quitting.

Did you know that alcohol misuse alone contributes to 3.3 million deaths annually? Powerful cravings will pop up once in a while, and hence, you require a strong will to overcome them. Keep in mind what matters to you, such as your health, family, or personal success. This will keep your motivation high. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember why you started in the first place. You can embrace this, and start seeing changes in your recovery journey.

2. Surround yourself with a strong support base

Going through the recovery process alone is never a wise decision. The best people to seek support from are your immediate family members, friends, or close colleagues—people who experienced the consequences of your addiction firsthand. It is also wise to pick the right support. Friends who are addicts are prone to entice you, and hinder your progress towards healing. Keep some distance until you are sure you can resist the urge. Also, the most suitable people are those who are not judgmental, and those who understand that quitting is a process, not a one-day achievement. In case you lack such a drug-free living environment, you may consider moving to a sober living home. Additionally, you may consider going to alcohol rehab, if your addiction is to alcohol. Learn more about Clean’s program for further support on staying, and living, clean.

3. Watch out for drug cravings and their triggers

Recovery is a process; thus, you require ample time to become clean fully. Intense cravings will hit you, and if you are not careful, chances are you will relapse. To avoid this, it all narrows down to staying away from the people, places, and situations that trigger these cravings. The first step is staying away from friends who use drugs. Staying away from places such as clubs and bars, where the drugs are available, is also essential. Cravings are prone to pop up. Some of the ways to handle them are:

1. Getting involved in distracting activities, such as sports
2. Talking it through with your support system
3. Challenge yourself, and refocus on other things

4. Build your life anew with a drug-free approach

You should engage in activities of your interest that will play a part in adding meaning to your life. No matter how hard the cravings hit, distractions will play a role in saving you from relapse. You can create such by exploring hobbies—whether through picking an old hobby, or trying a new one. This will offer great distraction. Engage in activities that take up plenty of your attention, as well as time. Also, engage in ventures such as keeping a pet.

5. Be kind to yourself

As we already mentioned, recovery is a process. Set reasonable and achievable goals to ensure you do not push yourself to the wall in the quitting process. Also, keep in mind that people are different, and thus, what worked for one person may not effectively work for you. The recovery duration may also vary. Sooner or later, cravings will creep in. If you are unable to manage these cravings, you will relapse. Understand that relapsing is a common part of the recovery process. It may be frustrating and demotivating, but embrace it and push forward. Don’t wallow in feelings of regrets by questioning your reasons for getting into drug-taking in the first place. Being kind to yourself is essential in keeping your motivation levels high.

Conclusion

Do not wait until you hit the dead end to realize that you have an addiction problem. Save your health, social life, and even economic life by taking the necessary steps, and diligently following them. Change your life, build better self-esteem, and improve your relationships by remaining dedicated towards sobriety. All the best!