10 ways to break addictions

It takes a lot of effort to deny your body a craving especially when it is easily accessible. This is one of the major reasons why people struggling with addictions relapse.

These ten steps will help you break your addictions

1. Go out more

Unless your friends are the reason why you’re in this mess (In this case you need new friends) go out and socialise. Talking to people keeps you busy and takes up all the free time you have to think out your addiction and want to relapse.

2. Find a new hobby

You know that one thing you think is super cool and you’d like to learn? Pick it up and make it a new hobby. Every time a craving comes up you can fall back to your hobby instead of indulging.

3. Plan your day

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Having a schedule of what you are going to do with your day allows you to be more productive and also, it ensures that you don’t have free time to fall back into your addiction.

4. Determine your triggers

Knowing what makes your more vulnerable to relapsing is a very important part of recovery. Take your time and write them down so that you can avoid them.

5. Keep a journal

You might not be much of a writer but who said journals can’t be recorded? Taking time to meditate and think through what’s going on in your life allows you the chance to figure out what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to be changed. It also, allows you to refer and remember the decisions you’d made the previous time.

6. Work out

Join the gym, a biking club or yoga, whatever it is to keep you healthy and stress free. Working up sweat allows you to vent out all the pressure and frustrations that come with withdrawal symptoms and quitting an addiction. Also, wouldn’t be lovely to have your dream body when you can officially say that you’re free of addiction?

7. Start a project

Trying out an idea you have is exciting and time consuming. Put all your focus on your new project and you’ll realize that you rarely think about your addiction.

8. Stay accountable

Having someone keep tabs on you may be your strongest motivator. Find someone close to you who cares enough to call you regularly and ask how you are. Someone you can be honest enough with to confess when you relapse and actually talk about it in depth. Closure makes you feel like you’re not on your own.

9. Don’t be ashamed of your situation

Nothing is solved until it is identified as a problem. Don’t be afraid to fess up and say that you are struggling with your addiction. You never know, maybe someone else around has dealt with the same problem and can help you. Better yet, you may help someone else identify their problem.

10. Don’t give in to relapses

Relapses can make you feel like all the hard work you’ve done before has gone to waste. But positivity is a very big part of recovery. Contrary to what you’re feeling, relapses can be markers of how long it’s taken you to fall back. No one said recovery is easy but you can make it way better by looking at the glass half full.