Addiction looks different for all of us, but its consequences are always severe. The compulsion to take something or do something inhibits us from focusing on other aspects of our lives. Sadly, we often end up losing everything before we realize how far our addiction has taken us.
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Although it might feel overwhelming, you must believe that you can beat your addiction. People who have felt as if they were in the pits of hell have overcome their addiction and gained their life back, and so can you.
Beating addiction is not about suddenly becoming a perfect version of yourself. Instead, it is about taking tiny steps to transform your life into a positive experience. The following are five helpful ways you can break your addiction.
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Take responsibility
You might have heard this phrase a thousand times already, but no matter how bad your childhood is and despite the trauma others may have caused you, you are the only one responsible for your addiction. Your addictive habits are part of your present, and at this moment, you can decide whether to say yes to more or move away from what is ruining your life.
Taking responsibility for your actions is your primary goal. It’s the first step to your new life. But there are also questions you can ask yourself to take responsibility. For example, is there drug testing near me? How has my addiction hurt those who care about me? How has my professional life suffered because of my addiction?
Answer these questions honestly. It would help if you write them down and hang them somewhere to remind yourself of the pain addiction has caused.
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Realize that the thoughts inside your head are just thoughts
From Eckhart Tolle to Sadhguru, the best spiritual teachers like to remind their students that they are not the thoughts inside their heads. You are not your addiction, nor are you your failures or your past actions. You are the awareness behind your thoughts and actions.
Once you digest this truth and start living it, you will find it easier to beat addiction because you will not associate with your thoughts and feelings. Best-selling writer and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle explain how the best way to stop the narrator in your head is by noticing the recurrent thoughts and feelings without taking action. The narrator is often that negative voice that tells you you cannot live without your addiction.
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Dream big and start small
Once you become the observer of your thoughts and emotions, you realize you are freer than you thought. If your thoughts and feelings inhibited you from taking risks in the past, now you may take more risks in life to achieve your goals.
Don’t be afraid to dream big, but remember that even the most ambitious plans require small steps. If you hope to graduate college, why not take online classes first of subjects that have long interested you? If you wish to become a chef, you may have to start your career washing plates while watching chefs work.
It would help if you did not let that negative voice in your head tell you you’re not worth your dreams. Neither should you give up the second you experience a setback. Setbacks are essential in life and essential to strengthen you. Although it might not seem so, even the most successful people in the world experience setbacks. The best way to stay focused is to concentrate on your journey without comparing yourself to others.
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Practice mindfulness
Meditation is an ancient ritual that has served well even the wisest philosophers and spiritual teachers. This practice can also help you focus more on the present moment, which is the only place to take responsibility for your actions.
Daily meditation can help you practice being the observer of your thoughts and actions so that when you face challenges in your day, you can revert to non-action, rather than acting impulsively and indulging in your addiction.
Meditation is also great to ease anxiety, learn how to be more patient, and experience the peace of being still in the present moment, with no distractions.
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Find a support group
Surrounding yourself with positive people who understand what you are going through is essential if you hope to stay on track in your recovery. While your loved ones are important in your life, it is critical to find people who know about the tools required to maintain recovery. Luckily, we live in the digital age, where you can easily find an online support group if there isn’t a local group available. Having a sponsor who has years of experience is a bonus to your recovery. Find someone that you like, but mostly one who is firm and has the right values. You need someone who can provide compassion but also firmness when required.
There’s no going about the fact that recovery is not a walk in the park. However, you can conquer it, and if you do, you will have conquered one of the biggest challenges in your life.
