IMPORTANT HEALTH TIPS TO OVERCOME ADDICTION

Addiction often does not happen voluntarily, although it evolves by the voluntary use of substances. If you are suffering from an addiction, do not see it as a path with no escape route. Regardless of the length of time, overcoming addiction is a goal you can achieve.

In the first place, taking steps to discover tips to overcome addiction is progress on its own. It implies that you acknowledge you have a substance use disorder and you need help.

You should know that to overcome addiction, you do not just get up one day and strip yourself of all substances, going “cold turkey”. Some tips can help you healthily overcome addiction and below are some:

  • Seek medical assistance:

Ensure you inform medical personnel of your decision to stop using so you can receive guidance on how to go about it. You need medical assistance because withdrawal from substance use has certain effects on the body and if not managed well, can lead to fatal consequences. 

  • Have a withdrawal plan:

When you decide to stop using, you must have a plan on how you want to cut down on your frequency of use. A healthy way to overcome addiction is not stopping all at once but reducing how much substance you indulge till you stop it altogether. 

  • Find a distraction:

You should find an activity that you enjoy doing so you can fill up your time with it. Hang out with friends, colleagues, and family, or engage yourself in exercises, take up a new hobby.

These activities have a way they keep you happy and satisfied that you do not feel the need to indulge.

Overcoming addiction requires discipline, determination, and importantly, accountability. Make sure you are accountable to someone throughout your journey so you can make good progress. 

REASONS WHY PEOPLE GET ADDICTED TO SUBSTANCES

Addiction is a disorder that is often characterized by constant impulse use and total reliance on substances for pleasure or survival despite fatal consequences.

Addiction is a disorder because it affects the brain and a person’s willpower or sense of control. This implies that often people who get addicted to substances do not have control over their desire to use.

It often begins with the voluntary use of substances due to certain reasons like peer pressure, or to achieve a goal such as relieving stress.

However, the use of these substances sends a signal to the brain and reduces the level of dopamine in the brain. It affects the ability to control the use of drugs which leads to compulsive reliance on drugs.

People get addicted to substances due to various factors referred to as “risk factors”. Risk factors comprise biological, environmental, psychological, and developmental factors. They are those factors that put a person at a greater risk of becoming addicted to substances than another.

  • Biological factors:

Factors relating to genetics, gender, ethnicity, or mental disorders can contribute to why people get addicted to substances. The genetic makeup of a person and the effects environmental factors have on a gene expression constitutes 40 to 60 percent of the risk of addiction.

  • Environmental factors:

The family, school, and neighborhood are environmental factors that can increase the risk of substance addiction.

If a child grows up with parents who use substances, he will likely suffer addiction in the future. Also, having friends who are into substance use can influence a person to start using too.

  • Developmental factors:

A person will be at a high risk of getting addicted to substances if he starts using them early in life before age 18-25. The drugs can harm the brain as it is still developing.