Whether you have been court-ordered to deal with your addiction or if you are taking the first steps to treat your addiction before it gets to the point of needing external intervention, you can use the tips below to help.
Take an Online Course
In some cases, people who struggle with addiction to the point that it causes legal problems, they may be court-ordered to take classes to treat their addiction. These can be for either alcohol or drugs or for both. However, even if you are not court-ordered to take these classes, you can still take an online drug and alcohol course. These courses teach students how to avoid temptation, how to deal with cravings and provide real-life examples of potential future situations involving drugs or alcohol.
Join a Support Group
If you are looking for in-person support, but don’t want to talk or your family or friends about your addiction (although, that is an option), then you may want to consider joining a support group. Some of the most common nationally recognized support groups for alcohol and drug abuse include Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Both of these groups work through “step” programs. These steps help people to start small and to work up to larger issues that have been caused by their drug or alcohol abuse or that may trigger their drug and alcohol abuse.
Most of these programs also hold meetings. During these meetings, group members share their stories of both how addiction made their lives harder and how becoming sober brought goods things into their lives. It can be motivating and inspiring to be around people with a similar struggle who have learned how to treat their addiction in healthy ways.
Find Alternative Activities
Finding a distraction is one of the best solo ways to combat either alcohol or drug addictions. Replacing one negative activity with a positive, or even simply a neutral activity can do a world of good. For example, if you usually go out to the bar to drink with your friends, it could be in your best interest to suggest another activity that doesn’t involve alcohol, like going to the movies as a group. If you are addicted to say, cocaine, because of the energy it provides, try switching to energy drinks; while this isn’t the healthiest option for getting more energy, it is better than doing drugs.
No matter what you decide to do to treat your addiction, admitting you have a problem with drugs or alcohol is the first step. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your loved ones. They want to see you healthy as much as you want to be healthy.
