Tips to fight addiction

Did you know that over 31 million people around the world are battling addiction at any given moment? And when it comes to getting help, many people think that rehab is the only option. Bu while rehab can be very successful for some, it isn’t always so for others. In fact, it’s estimated that over 80% of patients who attend rehab for alcoholism fail to remain alcohol-free for an entire year. So whether you choose to attend rehab or not, it seems that it’s always a good idea to try some other techniques to overcome addiction as well.

What other treatment options are available?

Behavioral therapy

Behavioral therapy is a type of therapy that is used to treat a wide range of mental health concerns, including addictions. The idea behind behavioral therapy is that all behaviors are learned. And if all behaviors are learned, then all behaviors can also be unlearned.

Instead of focusing purely on the addiction, behavioral therapy seeks to treat the root causes of what led to the addiction in the first place.  It also helps you to learn better-coping skills so that you can stay motivated when you become tempted by your addiction in the future.

Support Groups

When you’re trying to lose weight, most people will encourage you to go to the gym with a partner. Why? Because you’re more likely to stay motivated when you have to answer to someone else.

The same is true for addictions. When you are trying to recover from an addiction, it’s important to have a strong support system around you, and you’re less likely to relapse when you have other people who are counting on your success. It can also be very reassuring to speak to people who are going through the same struggles that you are.

Support groups can help to give you that reassurance.

Medications:

Did you know that having a mental health disorder can significantly increase your risk of addiction? Statistics show that if you have ADHD, you are 5.2 times more likely to suffer from an addiction. Bipolar disorder has similar statistics, with addiction being 5.1 times more likely.

Other mental health issues that can increase your risk of addiction?  Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Anxiety Disorder.

Finding the appropriate treatments and medications for mental illness then, can also be very successful in fighting back against addiction.

Here are some other tips to help you fight against addiction without rehab:

  • Find someone to speak to who will hold you accountable for your actions

  • Build yourself a strong support system

  • Identify your triggers and avoid them.

  • Distract yourself with things that you enjoy when you feel tempted.

  • When you feel temptation coming on, give yourself a mood boost with a good workout.

  • Dive into a new project or goal

  • Keep a record of your success or of your setbacks.

  • Take your progress one day at a time. And remember, if you can get through today, you can get through tomorrow too.

Here’s the truth about addiction – addiction is strong and overcoming it comes down to two things – motivation and willpower. You can attend rehab if you like, but without motivation and willpower, there is still a high likelihood that you will relapse. Find what makes you motivated. Find what gives you willpower, what makes you strong, what motivates you to be the best version of yourself – once you have found that, that’s when you’ve found the key to beating addiction.