Q: What steps or processes should a person following in order to “combat addiction?”
A: There is no way to “combat” (and win)… But there are at least a 1000 ways to learn to live with it.
There are as many routes out of addiction as there are people with an addiction (even tho a lot of people will tell you that there is “only one road out” -theirs, by the way-)…
Combat or Grow?
To be 100% clear: you can not combat something within yourself… Who should be the winner if you battle your self? Should your I be the winner? That would mean that your self is the looser!…
How can you help yourself to grow and to learn to live with this chronic disease in order to make it as unimportant in your life as possible (not by ignoring is but by making it important to do the things that ultimately make it unimportant). And you can learn from your dependence in order to grow and gain quality of life (even tho it may feel kinda rough sometimes)
Steps or Direction?
The steps, you ask? That is on you! (and the ones you love)…
For -in my opinion- there are as many routes out of addiction as there are people with an addiction (even tho a lot of people will tell you that there is only one road -theirs, by the way-)…
So if you ask me about steps I think about the things we tend to talk about in Integrative Addiction Management:
Integrate not fight
Firstly: are you willing to integrate your addiction?
Learning to understand when and how your biological addiction “wants to be fed”, what are the (accumulated!) risk factors in your life. And learning to give it the necessary clarity in the moments of craving.
Do you need meds (and do you take ‘em regularly IF you really need them to cope with your life -if you search for happiness via chemical routes, I’d advise to look elsewhere)?
Learn, not fight
Are you willing to learn from every(!) slip up?
Do you have a social network that understands you and that understand your addiction and is advised by you to take the necessary steps?
And about your dependence (NOT being your addiction):
Why do you want to use?.. and are you willing to look for alternatives OR acceptation for each of these reasons?
Are you willing to find creative new solutions?
And underneath?
Are you willing to look at the possible ‘heavy’ life experiences in the past that helped make your dope so appealing to you?
Are you willing to look at new and different ways to cope with unpleasant feelings, to express them and/or ‘sit ‘em out’ if necessary.
Are you willing to look at your needs and wants. And are you willing to look at yourself and accept yourself as is.
Are you willing to have a look at your future and foster the self-love to do the things that will create a future that is interesting enough to live toward to…
Not alone
Are you willing to be helped?… There will be lots that you’ll have to do yourself. But most people don’t manage by themselves.
Wishing you all the best and let me know if I can do things for you.
Hans
integrative addiction management.com 