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Get the
Support You Need After Quitting an Addiction
Author:
Linda Joy Allan
 Have
you quit
drinking,
smoking or binge-eating and then fallen “off the wagon?” Maybe it’s because you
haven’t had the kind of support
system
you need after you quit?
I quit
drinking over 21 years ago now. A friend of mine just asked me the other day if
I ever think of drinking anymore. So I gave her my honest answer. “No, I never
think about drinking again and I know I’ll never drink again.” Then she asked
the same about smoking since I smoked for 28 years and quit almost 8 years ago.
Same answer: “No. I don’t miss it and I know I’ll never smoke.”
She
said, “That’s great. Not many people could honestly say that, I don’t think.”
Maybe
that’s true, but I really don’t know. I told her it was so long ago that I
don’t think about it. It’s almost as if I never even smoked or drank. I have a
much different life now. Why is it possible that I don’t miss smoking and
drinking (and I used to be fat, too, from eating compulsively)? Three reasons,
I believe:
One, I
had great support from my family and close friends. Two, I got lots of support
from my faith in God. Three, I started changing my habits to support the life I
wanted to have—a life without the addictions. I couldn’t keep doing the same
thing every day as I had before because I needed to form new habits.
Do you
have the support you need from family and friends? Maybe you need to rethink
your social environment or pay more attention to your spiritual side.
Here
are six things you can do to gain the support you need and stay strong your
resolve to quit whatever addiction you’ve struggled with:
(1) Stop seeing friends who
aren’t supportive of your decision or positive in nature.
If you think everyone will
be happy that you’re quitting your addiction, you may be surprised that people
will try to undermine you and get you to take up your addiction again. Some
people don’t want to be alone with their addiction. They want company. If this
is the case, you should think about not spending time with them for now, even if
they are family members.
(2) Stay away from any
environment that might draw you in to your old ways. If
you’re an alcoholic and have quit, it’s best to stay away from bars in the
beginning of your sobriety. As time goes on and you become stronger and don’t
feel tempted by alcohol, you could go to a restaurant that has a bar. I still
don’t suggest going to regular bars because you’ll be in a type of environment
that you really don’t want to be in anymore. You’re going through some
wonderful changes and don’t need to be pulled back into the bar scene.
(3) Take nature walks and
bring along a Walkman with a spiritual tape to listen to.
Being in nature is a great
way to become calm. I know that when I quit drinking my mind had been racing
for about 12 years while I was drinking so much. It was new for me to quiet my
mind. But it was nice! I loved going to the beach and walking after work with
a spiritual tape to further help me calm down my mind. It may be a new
experience for you but it’s one of the most important steps you can take to
guarantee you’ll stay off whatever you were addicted to.
(4) Take up a hobby that
you’ve been putting off.
You have the time now to
pursue hobbies you’ve been putting off. So many times our lives revolve around
our addiction. It’s not the case anymore. Take the time to figure out a hobby
that you like and can stick with. Have fun. It will help you to get used to
your “new life.”
(5)
Join a group, church, volunteer or take classes that interest you.
Getting your mind off of
yourself is huge! When you’re addicted, life is all about you, isn’t it? Now
you want to get out of yourself and be involved with people who are doing
something positive with their lives. With volunteering, you are helping people
who need you. They’re there, in front of you and they need you now. It’s one
of the best ways to help you retrain yourself to think of others first.
(6) Decide to do one new
thing a week. So
often life becomes stagnant when one is addicted, especially to a substance. In
the beginning you may almost have to force yourself to try one new thing a
week. It might be scary to step out and try new things. So start small. It
could be driving to a mall out of town, going for a two-mile walk, or going out
for coffee by yourself. It’s important to start doing constructive things that
keep your mind and thoughts uplifted. When I was drinking I never did new
things. It was the same old thing, day in and day out. It’s also important to
start taking new steps and making changes in your life.
Also See:
How to
Overcome Drug Addiction with Help From Self Hypnosis
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