A few ideas for the hard times

Hello and thanks for taking a look!

Just thought I would share a few ideas on what to do in a crisis, hard time or just if your feeling the pinch of quitting an addiction.

Breaking the habit

Probably the hardest part of quitting any addiction is breaking the habit, which is the forefront of the battle. People decide to quit taking a drug for a reason, the best defense is to think of that reason and fixate your mind on it. remind yourself constantly why you are stopping, whether its for your health, your kids or you just generally want to quit, make sure you keep reminding yourself about why it is good for you. Try alternatives and find what works best. Try playing video games, go jogging, visit a friend or family member, there are many things you can do to keep your mind occupied, whist probably having fun at the same time.

Talk. talk and talk some more!

You have already done part of this by reading the forum! Talking helps A LOT! Try talking to a family member or close friend about how you are doing and what you are struggling with, you can talk to any forum member too. Having a strong support network is very important and can often help a great deal in quitting. There are probably many many other people that are going though exactly the same as what you are or have done so before, so their advice is priceless.

Positive attitude

Having a positive attitude is another important factor. You WILL get through it, no matter how long it takes. You ARE going to beat this, no matter what it takes or how long it takes to do it. Thoughts like this do help and are helping many people to overcome addiction and is in important part of getting through it. This ties in with having a strong support network too.

Alternatives

Find yourself an alternative, do something different. There are so many things you could do instead of taking a drug. There is a list below giving just a few ideas on what you could do to keep yourself occupied:

Go for a run, this clears your mind and keeps you fit at the same time.
Play a video game, keeping your mind and hands occupied is a great alternative and fun!
Watch a film, on the sofa with a coffee and a biscuit, comforting and entertaining.
Go bowling, one of my favorite activities. It keeps you occupied and is very fun at the same time.
Visit a forum or face to face support group, just another way of keeping you going
Start a new hobby, this could be knitting, reading, crafts or even building, its up to you, but again this keeps you well occupied!

Surf the web, look for things you can buy with the money you save, this is probably one of the best motivators there is. Make a list of things you desire the most, and put the money away that you would normally spend on the addiction, it is surprising how much it adds up. Treat yourself with the money you save after every week. This is something to look forward to and it also sets you a goal for your next week of being clean, which is what we are trying to achieve.

Summary

You are going to get through this, there is already a support network on this forum. Everyone is striving to the same goal and people are here to support you through the hard times and the good. I would like to hear about what you do for relief and how you keep yourself occupied when times are hard. Share you ideas!

The very best of luck, you will do it!

Thanks for these awesome tips. I couldn't agree more. Everything should start within yourself first. Face your own demons and monsters, try to beat them up, and overcome them eventually. Soon after that, keep being positive about life and associate with good friends.

Great tips, thank you. Talking on here has helped so much and reminded me that I am who I am, not who I was.

Sometime having a positive attitude is hard. There are some days when you you hardly even get out of bed. I think that more than just being positive and relying on motivation, you should try and form some good habits and routines just in case. That way, even if have one of those days, you will still be compelled to soldier on because it has become a habit.

This really is great advice. I feel that talking someones ear off really helps me a lot. Tends to be that the best listeners are those who listen and have small positive opinions--enough to keep me talking, yet not enough to make me even more emotional. Sometimes I talk myself to sleep (on the phone, texting, or messaging) which is probably what was best for me anyways seeing as how stress usually causes me not to sleep.

That was all great ideas and information. When I am in a crisis in my life I am always worried and sometimes out of my mind. What I usually do I am always saying to myself..."Be positive and I can do it!"... Then I tried not to be alone and want to talk to somebody who would listen to me and give advice like my family and friends to stop what is bothering on my mind and to give me strength of hope..

Overcoming addiction is quite a challenge and it requires a different kind of thinking, a new mentality if you are going to succeeded. When you combine this approach with the tips mentioned above, you're well on your way to a drug free life. Thanks for sharing.

These are all very excellent tips! Thank you for sharing. Exercise is definitely one of the best ways to cope with your addiction, as it helps the brain and the body become healthy.

Thank you Sazzydan. It's kind of you to share those great tips with us. I am sure we can all benefit from at least one if not all of them. I think I have the " talk, talk and talk" already covered.

Thanks for sharing these great tips. I am really one of those people who likes to talk about my problems just so I can get things out of my mind and get another person's opinion on the matter. The hardest part is getting people to listen. It feels that many people these days are just concerned about their own lives and do not want to take the time to listen to how others feel. If you find someone who is really interested, treat them to a free lunch and talk away.

That's a good one, Sazzydan! It seems you've figured it out yourself, the DIY recovery method. A lot of substance abusers try to get into therapy without much success. There's more chances of recovery when the person digs deep into his soul and finds his way out of his own darkness. Personally, I try to wallow in stories - novels, comics, animes, movies and television series. Stories inspire me a lot and make me see the possibility in everything. Whenever I get cornered by my own problems, I try to imagine myself in the shoes of those heroes and heroines and pull myself out of the muck with them as inspiration.

Having a solid support system and mingling with people with the right mindset and goals can definitely help a recovering addict to be sober and clean, so all the tips you posted are quite important and a-must if the addict wants to break free from his bad habit.

Support is one of the most important things you can have when you are trying to recover from just about anything. When people quit their addiction, they sometimes go through a period of being lost, and actually have a grieving period because their whole lives have changed and they might now be sure how to handle this. It can be a scary time in someones life and we have to let the addict know that we are there and love them.

The first step to quitting doesn't start with nagging or pestering. It begins inside. To do anything at all you need self determination.

Positive attitude really plays a good role during a hard time. When everything seems to be going wrong and everything seems to be turning against your side, being positive with your attitude is the only thing that would be able to keep you going.