If you are struggling with drug addiction, getting clean (and staying clean) can seem impossible. However, there is hope. Recovery is never actually out of reach. With the right treatment and support, you can experience positive change and improve the quality of life by not avoiding, but dealing with the causes of your addiction. It is important to be determined and know that the first step is in trying to recover. Recovery can be quick for some, long for others, or involve many restarts, but getting to the root of the problem and making the decision to try to recover means you are already starting the process.

Beating Drug Addiction

The hardest part for the vast majority of people is taking the first step to recovery: making the decision to try. Feeling uneasy about change isn’t unusual. In fact, change in all areas of life is challenging for people. Making the decision to beat a drug addiction can start with looking at:

  • Stress. How do you manage stress in your life and what can you do to reduce stress?
  • People. What people in your life make you feel good and support you?
  • You. How do you view yourself and how can you improve your self-talk and positive thinking?

Starting the Process of Recovery

  • Make a list of your drug use.
    – Put a book at your bedside table or use your phone to make a list of what drugs you are using, how often, how much and what they are costing you financially. We recommend that each day you make a note of a reason you should quit.
  • Make a list of what matters the most to you.
    – List out people, work, health, finances, pets, anything that you consider very important and comment how your drug use is hindering your relationship with that thing.
  • Make a list of what is holding you back from beating your addiction.
    – Consider how you feel when you are using the drug, when you are not using the drug, and what you think the drug does for you.

Steps to Recovery from Drug Addiction

  • Change.
    – Ask yourself, “Why do I want to make this change?”
  • Past attempts.
    – Consider when you’ve tried to quit in the past. What was successful and what was not.
  • Goals.
    – Set actual, measurable goals.
  • Reminders.
    – Clear your life of reminders of your drug addiction.
  • Support.
    – Put in place the people that will walk the journey of recovery with you.