Around 10% of Americans report having a drug use disorder at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, of this 10%, only around 25% ever seek treatment. This leaves millions of Americans dependent on drugs.
Do you suffer from drug addiction? Does someone in your life suffer from drug addiction? If so, you should know that addiction recovery is a possibility.
In fact, there are a number of things you can do to combat addiction. Here are 4 tips for substance abuse help.
1. Cut Out Negatively Influential Friends
One of the most important things to do when trying to kick a drug addiction is to cut out negatively influential friends. Whether these are people who do drugs with you or people who provoke you to want to do drugs, they are part of the problem and will only serve to keep you with your addiction.
Instead of surrounding yourself with people like these, you should seek out friends who are supportive of your getting sober. These are individuals you can lean on during hard times, and who will help keep you going in the right direction.
2. Exercise!
Whether you have a drug dependency or not, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of exercise as it pertains to your physical and mental wellbeing. Exercise not only keeps the body physically fit but also produces feel-good chemicals in the body, thus inspiring happy thoughts in the brain.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s playing basketball, or going for a long walk, or riding a bicycle: regular exercise is a game-changer.
3. Pick Up a Hobby
In many cases, drug addiction takes over the addict’s entire life. The addict stops enjoying the things that they once did and turns to drugs as a means of refuge. Therefore, doing drugs almost becomes a hobby of sorts.
It stands to reason, then, that picking up a new hobby can help a person to leave their drug habit in the rearview mirror. The new hobby can, in a sense, become the addict’s new drug, thus lessening the addict’s need for addictive substances.
So, whether it’s long-distance running, weightlifting, playing the guitar, or putting together model airplanes, try to find a hobby that you enjoy. It could be just the thing to help you pull your life back together.
4. Seek Professional Treatment
Our last tip is to seek professional treatment. This is often necessary, as kicking an addiction on one’s own can be exceedingly difficult.
By entering into a rehabilitation program, you will receive all of the resources that you need. You’ll not only have doctors helping you to eliminate your chemical dependency on drugs but psychiatrists and psychologists helping to eliminate your mental dependency on drugs.
“Is rehab right for me?“, you ask. Click that link to find out.
Substance Abuse Help Is Available
Addiction ruins lives; not only the life of the addict but of those who love the addict as well. Fortunately, substance abuse help is available. So, whether it’s utilizing these 4 tips or checking into addiction rehabs, you must know that there are options available.
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