A Helpful Guide: Ways Of Dealing With Addictions | Mum In The Madhouse

A Helpful Guide: Ways Of Dealing With Addictions

A lot of people are affected by addictions. It could be drugs, smoking, your phone or even coffee. We all know how difficult it is to deal with them once they have taken a hold on us. However, there are many ways in which one can deal with the various kinds of addiction that they face in their lives. The following are some very effective ways used for curing addictions:

Addiction -highlighted in pink in a dictionary

Talk To  Someone

This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to deal with addictions. You could speak to your family members, friends, or maybe a professional such as a therapist, psychiatrist, or even a life coach. This opens up about how you feel and also allows them to guide you towards the right path. As explained by therapists from Shoreline Recovery Center, people turn to various addictions and habits out of a need for escape from the real world. Having someone you can rely on to truly listen and understand you is often all that that’s needed to take that first step towards doing something about it. If you have an issue with alcohol, then talk to your family about non-alcoholic drinks that you could all substitute.

Take Up A Hobby

When you are trying to stop an addiction, it is important to take up something else in place of the habit. It could be anything from painting, drawing, or even exercising regularly. Whatever activity that takes your attention away from the addiction would do just fine. It is important to note here that you should not depend totally on this activity for your happiness. It is only something meant to create a diversion and keep your mind focused on it rather than the addiction. For instance,  if you are trying to quit smoking and take up knitting instead, your mind should be focused on it and not on the addiction.

sewing

Engage Yourself In A Physical Activity

When you are trying to overcome an addiction, you must keep your body engaged in some activity. This will not only help with focusing on something other than the addiction but also increase the level of endorphins which makes one feel happier and healthier overall. The truth is that the addiction in question will make you feel happy due to the reaction of your brain. However, this happiness is temporary and does not last long. On the other hand, engaging yourself in physical activities such as busy dancing makes one feel happier because it stimulates their body just like drugs but for a much longer period. This helps with the recovery process and helps in overcoming the addiction.

Deal With Each Addiction Separately

This one’s a bit of a cheat, but it does work if you are looking for more efficient ways of dealing with your addiction problems. You could create lists for each one of the addictions that you are trying to deal with and then start focusing on one at a time. Dealing with all your addictions at once would be tough, so it is important to take them one by one to make sure they don’t sneak back in when you aren’t paying attention. To facilitate this process, you can keep track of your progress in journals or use a smartphone app. You could even use a digital medium to keep track of your progress on the go. This will help motivate you to keep going with the quitting process.

Addiction -highlighted in pink in a dictionary

It is important to understand that various addictions require different forms of treatment. If you are looking for a particular way to deal with your addiction, be sure to do thorough research into the matter and find out which one has been proven as effective against it. It will also help if you speak to a therapist about your problems as they will know exactly what would work with your lifestyle and create a plan of action accordingly.