Fighting Addiction in the 21st Century

Fighting an addiction is like watching time pass slowly on a clock. The seconds will tick away, you are staying away from it, but boy do you really want more. Maybe you gamble, or want to smoke marijuana or use cocaine. Addiction destroys countless lives in the world. It destroys families. If you have ever become addicted it can be hard to beat it at all. What you can do is consider some of these steps, a short guide on defeating addiction.

1. Saying “NO”: If you’ve ever seen a person fighting an addiction, it might clue you in on how serious being an addict can be. Sure, it can be fun in the beginning, middle, and maybe even the end. However, if you had not used drugs or drank ten beers a day in the first place it would have been much better. Unfortunately, most learn by making mistakes. If you are already in the grips of addiction, no matter what it is, you can find help. Your local church or community mental health center can help; there are many 12-step programs for every kind of addiction.

2. Fighting Denial: Often an addict is in complete denial about having a problem. If you are spending hundreds of dollars on a weekly basis, is it not a problem? If you have lost most or all relationships with friends and family, do you think your addiction had nothing to do with it?
To battle this denial you need to slow down for a moment, take in all that is happening, and see the chaos evident in your life. Denial is the old story. A wife may have a drinking problem, hiding behind alcohol to mask her emotions. She has to drink up to ten glasses of wine to cool down after a hard day. A son may be downing ten pills a day; he needs something better to battle depression. Battling denial will be crucial in fighting this illness. The key is to stop rationalizing your actions, saying you are just having fun, while your life is going down the drain.

How can it go down the drain? Think of Marijuana as an example. THC is far more toxic to your lungs than even cigarettes. Also, they call them illegal drugs for a reason: you can get arrested and thrown in the slammer. Where is the fun in that?

3. Choose Friends Wisely: Sure, it was fun partying and having tons of friends in the short term, but test a theory, tell your old addiction buddies you’re out of money and the car doesn’t have any gas. Some will stay with you. But most of your “friends” in addiction were really looking out for themselves. They hung around because you had money, maybe even a ride. If any of them stand by your side and loan you money, that is a rarity. Most are not positive influences. What is needed is a new way of thinking and a new set of friends to beat the disease of addiction.

4. Defeating Impulses: The major problem with addicts is impulse control. For example, you see something tasty at the snack aisle and want it. Or you see a brand new corvette at a dealership. Both are impulses; you want something you really don’t need. If you can say no in the short term, by not buying the joint from the drug dealer or not buying another twelve pack, you will often make it much easier for yourself in the long term.

5. Defeating Negative Thinking: The next step in defeating addiction is your own thinking, the thoughts which always made you want more. This is not an easy process. You might become depressed without your drugs, or whatever you are addicted to. You might get edgy. Both make you curl up in a ball, not really wanting to do anything.

To defeat this, all you need to do is keep it simple. Keeping it simple will help you find new ways to have fun. Instead of a walk to the drug dealer, the casino, or the bar you could ride your bike through a park. It may sound boring, but once you get your mind clear of all the impulses and desires it will be easier to find small joys. There’s no definitive cure for any addiction except getting the right kind of help and the right state of mind.

6. Stay Busy: Lastly, you can’t go for bike rides every day, every hour. You need other things to keep you busy, whether it be a job, a class, an art, or hobby, it needs to be something to keep your mind off your problems. This can be helpful in defeating negative thoughts and can also be fun. Once you get excited about something, you will be less likely to think of your addiction. It’s good to keep busy. It’s good to be free of addiction.