Addiction is a complicated brain disease that changes the way your brain functions. When we use drugs or alcohol, we are at high risk of growing dependent on them. Using drugs or alcohol more frequently and in higher doses puts us at risk of becoming dependent on them. Eventually, drug and alcohol dependency can lead to addiction and can lead to severe health conditions. Addiction can cause heart attack, liver failure, overdose, and early death.
Why can’t I stop using drugs or alcohol?
Addiction makes it difficult for us to stop using drugs or alcohol due to physical and physiological dependency. Ending drug or alcohol use can cause severe withdrawals. We might experience withdrawals, which can make us use drugs or alcohol to alleviate the painful withdrawal symptoms. Trying to get sober can be overwhelming, and taking sobriety one day at a time can be less stressful than saying “never use again.”
Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) preaches “one day at a time” and states, “We try to follow what we in A.A. call the “24-hour plan.” We concentrate on keeping sober just the current twenty-four hours. We simply try to get through one day at a time without a drink.”
Journaling helps a person in recovery to prioritize goals and responsibilities and track his or her setbacks and improvements, one day at a time. When you keep a journal in recovery, you can identify triggers and avoid high-risk situations. Keeping a journal allows you to focus on the present and not ruminate in the past. Concentrate on how you feel about past events, in the present.
Meeting sober people
Group meetings allow you to share experiences with others and form new, sustainable relationships. In recovery, it is important to have a network of people to call on when facing challenges. New, sober friends encourage sobriety and can enjoy fun, healthy, activities without drugs or alcohol.
Getting help
Recovery from addiction is one day at a time. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. While there is no cure for addiction, it is treatable. Take the first step toward a healthy, fulfilling, life in sobriety and get help today. There is hope in recovery. Do not let the stigma prevent you from getting the help you need. Asking for help is the first step to a healthy, meaningful, and fulfilling life.
Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, Valiant Living offers “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Valiant fosters connection, encouraging clients to get connected to themselves, their peers, their families, and their higher power. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information: 303-536-5463
