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Addiction recovery is a challenging phase. It is not easy trying to switch habits, especially one that has always boosted your brain’s reward system. If you have been addicted for a long time and you enroll for addiction recovery, there is this part of you that wants to relapse.

Getting the right help during addiction recovery helps you keep those addictive habits at bay. However, there are some responsibilities that you have to fulfill yourself.

The only way addictive habits will return is when some mistakes are made. Here are some of them that you should avoid.

• Trying to over commit

When you are in addiction recovery, you don’t need to rush the process. Addiction recovery requires that you take each step gradually so that you don’t overwhelm yourself. Avoid taking on too much commitment for your recovery to be smooth.

Remember that addiction recovery is a marathon and not a sprint. So, take enough time to adjust and fit in.

• Hanging out with friends who are not sober

In addiction recovery, you need to be careful with people you hang out with. At this point, you need people who will contribute to your sobriety and not those who will reduce your chances. If your friends abuse substances, you should keep your distance and communicate at arm’s length.

When you hang around people who are heavy addicts, you will feel left out and compelled to join.

• Expecting much from your loved ones

During addiction, the relationship between an addict and their families is usually strained. Neither party understands each other and they are always at loggerheads.

When the addict begins to get sober, they should not expect much from their loved ones. Rather, they should be patient in rebuilding the relationship.

• Thinking you can help yourself

When you begin to get better in addiction recovery, don’t think that you can do it yourself. You still need the health professionals and therapists around to provide the necessary support that establishes your sobriety.

Anyone who knows what addiction entails will prefer to avoid it totally, instead of going through the challenging process of getting sober. Some people don’t know that our lifestyle habits can be responsible for inducing addiction.

When you live healthily, it would be difficult for the addiction to spring up because you have checked the boxes.  

Here are some lifestyle habits that keep addiction at bay:

• Avoid alcohol and drugs

Alcohol and drugs are substances and they are the top two types of addiction in the world. Anyone who starts taking these substances develops dependence, which later leads to substance addiction. Hence, to avoid addiction, stay away from alcohol and drugs.

If you have friends or acquaintances who take them, it is best to change your circle or keep your distance to avoid getting roped into using them.

• Get enough sleep

Many people are unaware that getting enough sleep can improve health in several ways. It is advised that every individual sleeps for an average of seven to eight hours each day. If you are having a bad mood, it is best to sleep instead of relying on substances that can trigger addiction.

With enough sleep, you can set your day in motion, increase your energy levels and mood, and boost your self-esteem.

• Get physically active

There are times when you might feel drained or less motivated even if you didn’t do something tedious. If this happens regularly, it means you are not exercising. With frequent physical exercise, you can reduce tension and stress.

Also, it would be easy for you to handle other physical activities without relying on substances for extra support.

• Maintain a healthy diet

Eating a nutritious diet is one of the primary keys to living healthily which helps you prevent addiction. For optimum energy and a great lifestyle that prevents illnesses, a healthy diet is important. If you don’t know how to go about this, you can always contact a dietician to create a healthy diet timetable for you.

Addiction is a condition that occurs when an individual uses a substances or partakes in an activity which proves pleasurable to them. It becomes something they become used to and it begins to affect their regular lives.

Addictive habits are in motion whenever an individual puts important tasks aside and focuses on their addictive habits. This can cause rift in their relationship with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and other categories of people.

Usually, people who have addictive habits are unaware of the damage they are causing. They only become aware when they understand the full concept of addiction and how much they have been affected.

In avoiding bad addictive habits, it is necessary for you to integrate some measures in place. To start with, you need to get the right mindset that will enable you recover. This stage might be difficult for you because it is usually the biggest challenge.

As a matter of fact, the decision to beat addiction is always the toughest, but once you can surmount this stage, the rest becomes easy to conquer.

Also, you need to be aware of your weak points so that you can be fully prepared to tackle the habit when the cravings come. It could be at a particular time of the day, or it could be a particular place or event.

Once you notice these weak points, it is imperative for you to consciously make attempts to fight them.

In addition to this, make sure you get busy. You can engage in any profitable activity that will make sure your mind is taken off addiction.

One thing you should know is addictive habits surface whenever you are lazing around. These habits thrive on idleness, so you need to make sure that you are always busy.

Furthermore, you need to make sure you have trusted friends who would help you out. To prevent addictive habits, you need to make sure you hang around with trusted friends who are equally sober and do not engage in addictive habits.  

Someone who is addicted would find it very difficult to get out all by themselves. Typically, they would need someone to help them out of the well of addiction.

Having a good understanding of how addiction works helps you to know why overcoming it is imperative.

Basically, addiction is a disease of the brain which a chronic one which is shown by the physical and psychological dependence on alcohol, drugs or a particular behavior.

When there is an addictive disorder is in motion, the individual would not be able to totally control their habits. So even in the light of possible health problems, they ignore the possibility and continue in their addiction.

Addiction is a profound and overwhelming feeling that can affect the way we think, behave and process our emotions. Only few people who have addictive disorders know it exists and they find it very difficult to prevent themselves.

A good number of times, people who are addicted usually start off with abuse which leads to addiction, do so without the original intent.

They just meant to try it out and probably stop when they get tired. However, when the individual starts off with the abuse, it becomes very difficult to stop and in the process an addiction is formed.

There is a concept known as tolerance in addiction. This concept occurs when there is an increased need for you to step-up the intake of a particular substance, or to increase the frequency you use to indulge in a particular addictive habit.

It would interest you to know that there are some adverse effects that addiction comes with.

Some of them are visible in the short term, while some are obvious in the long term. The individual would discover in time that his or her physical health has been gravely affected.

If you are addicted or you know anyone who is, it is advisable to assist them in seeking help, which in this case is addiction recovery. With time, their lifestyle would return to normalcy and they would be sober and responsible individuals.  

In addiction recovery, one of the vital components is the family. If the family is not involved in the addiction recovery process of their loved one, it might not be a smooth ride for the recovering addict.

The fact is, when an individual is addicted, the whole of the family is affected. If there is someone you love and the person is addicted, you will feel angry at the person and yourself as well.

If a member of the family is addicted, there is a tendency for emotions to be on the high. There would be fights and disagreements and everything will boil down to the addiction of the individual. This is why addicts love to keep to themselves.

They do not want a case whereby they are blamed for their problems. This causes strain between the addicted individual and his or her family members.

One of the best ways to help someone who is addicted, is to involve their family. When this happens, there is a higher chance of success.

It has been known that addiction is one of the causes of divorce and separation in homes. But, when a family is able to rally round their addicted member, they would do fine.

This is not easy to achieve but it is possible. The counselor can also play his or her own part in making this a reality. All the counselor needs to do is sit both parties down and discuss with them.

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Counselors are smart professional, from the discussion with an individual they would be able to guess if the person is at loggerheads with their families or not.

Families are also enjoined to attend therapy sessions, this would help them to understand more about addiction.

They would now understand why their family members has been behaving in a way they were not comfortable with. This helps families to care more genuinely about their addicted loved one and offer their support in any way necessary.  

The last thing you need as an individual are friends who are not sober. Their actions can drive you to start abusing substances or exhibiting abusive behaviors. In the long run, there is a strong tendency for you to become addicted.

The same applies to individuals who are recovering from addiction. By all means possible, they are usually advised to seek sober friends and do away with friends who will trigger their addiction.

This is why support networks and groups are encouraged within a rehab setting. This provides the ample chance for you to make real and sober friends that will help you get better in your recovery process.

One of the benefits of sober friends is the support they offer. A sober friend will always be on the lookout for you, ensuring that you are kept safe and distanced from anything that can trigger your addiction.

Sober friends understand what it means to recover from addiction and they will ensure that you remain sober for as long as you live.

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In addition, sober friends will always encourage you to become a better version of yourself. This implies that they will encourage you to take your diet seriously.

They will also reiterate regularly the importance of staying physical benefits, reminding you of the benefits that come with it. When you are discouraged, sober friends are there to pick you up and motivate you.

Also, sober friends are individuals you can always rely on. They are knowledgeable and they want the best for you. During addiction recovery, they will make sure they show up for your therapy sessions as a means of rendering their support.

Second to family, sober friends are the set of people you need in your life that you should not be found without.

Someone who keeps to himself after addiction recovery has a chance of being addicted once again. So, it is better to have sober friends who would always be there for you in every step of the way.  

There’s a saying “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  It may seem trite or simplistic, but it’s also true.  It is especially true if you want to make a significant change in your life.  Changing our behavior, turning away from the abuse of alcohol or other drugs is not something that happens by accident or circumstance.  Changes like this require a definite decision to behave differently.  Recovery is not something easy or simple.  Terminating our abuse of alcohol or other drugs requires that we engage in a concerted effort to do something different.  We cannot simply wake up one morning with a different set of habits and behaviors.  Recovery demands that we abandon one set of habits and adopt another.

It would be nice if we could just wake up one morning with a different set of habits.  Recovery would be much easier if we could just make a simple decision to stop using and be done with it.  Unfortunately, that is not how things work.  The abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a complex set of behaviors and attitudes.   Drug abuse exists amid an environment of people and places that provide the circumstances of our drug abuse.  In the same way, recovery can only occur in the midst of an environment of people and places that enable us to live sober lives.

In other words, drug abuse happens in certain places and in the company of certain people.  There are certain people we use drugs with and there are certain places we go to use drugs.  You wouldn’t normally go to your local church and hang around the minister to use drugs.  You wouldn’t normally go to visit with your grandparents when you want to use.  On the contrary, you probably have friends that you use drugs with and there are places that you go where you will find others who are using drugs.  Part of planning to recover from drug use means that you will stop hanging around with people that you use drugs with and instead hang around with people who strive to live as faithful Christians.

Part of planning to succeed in recovery means that you will plan to avoid the people and places which were a part of your drug abuse.  Plan to succeed.  Plan to stay away from the places and people that formed the environment of your drug abuse and instead surround yourself with believers.

Aside from having a strong support group, a person in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs can also benefit from the example of a person who is also in recovery.  A support group can help to keep you honest about your behavior.  They need not be people who are also in recovery.  Rather, they are people who help you to monitor your behavior and help you to maintain your commitment to remain sober.  An example, on the other hand, is a person who is also in recovery and has been successful in their commitment to sobriety.  In other words, they are individuals who are on the same journey that you are on and can help you to make good decisions about your own program of recovery.

One of the challenges of recover from addiction to alcohol or other drugs is the need to sever your relationship to people with whom you formerly used drugs.  The loss of companionship, of somebody to spend time with, can make recovery even more difficult.  Having an example, somebody who inspires you to continue the journey of recovery gives you somebody to help you keep moving forward.  Severing your relationship with people who shared your addictive behavior can leave you with fewer people to share your time with.  An inspiration, on the other hand, gives you somebody with whom you can move forward in recovery.

Being part of a community is a great source of strength.  No matter what you are trying to accomplish, having somebody with whom you can make the journey much easier.  Whether you are trying to change a behavior or change your way of life, it is not easy to do so alone.  A good example is becoming a Christian.  Jesus has called us not as individuals; He has called us to become members of the Christian community.

Who is an example for you?  Who inspires you?  To whom can you look as an example of the person you want to be?  The journey of recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs is a difficult journey.  Making that journey alone is not easy, but making that journey with companions is much easier.  You don’t have to be alone.  You can travel with others.  Even better, you can walk in the footsteps of others who have already made the journey that you hope to make.  An example can serve as your inspiration to keep moving.  We can all benefit from having somebody who inspires us.  Who inspires you?

It is tempting for an addict to excuse his behavior on events in our lives; on people around us, such as family members or friends; or on the suffering that we endure.  Excuses such as these allow us to think of ourselves as victims and to place the responsibility for our addiction on another person or on the challenges we have faced.  It is true that people or events in our lives contribute to our decision to abuse alcohol or other drugs.  It is also true there is more to the story of our addictive behavior than the people or events in our lives.  We are not simply victims of the people or events in our lives.  If that were the case, then we would be unable to change our behavior.  In other words, if our addictive behavior is purely the result of things that have happened to us, then we would be unable to change on our own.

We must realize that we are able to make our own decisions, not simply surrender to the power of others.  We must claim our own power.  While it might give us a sense of comfort to place the blame for our addictive behavior on somebody else, this is not the whole story.  We are responsible for the decision to begin abusing drugs; we are responsible for the decision to stop to stop using drugs.

God has given us the gift of free will and Jesus has suffered and died to save us from the power of sin.  As He said, “If the Son frees you, you will be really free.”  The Son has truly freed us, and we need not continue to be the slaves of sin.  You can decide to change your behavior, to change your life.  You are in charge of your life.  Not the people you know; not the sufferings you have endured.  You, you are in charge of you.

It’s time to stop placing the blame for your behavior on other people or on what you have been through.  It’s time to stop being a victim.  It’s time to claim your power, to assert your freedom.  You are not under the control of somebody else; you are not a slave of forces outside of yourself.  You are an independent person who can make your own decisions.  Claim your power and become the person you  are called to be.

Along the same lines as triggers are what are often called ‘risky choices’.  Risky choices are decisions that pose a strong likelihood of lead to triggers or even a return to abusing alcohol or other drugs.  Some examples of risky choices are such things as choosing a route to the store that you know will take you past a favorite bar or going to a party with friends that you used to use with.  Risky choices put you in or near places or situations that pose a likelihood to returning to the use of alcohol or other drugs.

Often, these risky choices are made without any real foresight.  You might be going to a meeting of some kind and ‘just happen’ to drive through the area of town where you used to purchase drugs.  You might be at the grocery store and ‘just happen’ to walk through the area of the store where the alcohol is displayed.  You might be trying to call a friend and instead you dial the number of a former drug supplier.

Other times, people believe that they have enough time in recovery that they can now handle some temptations.  An alcoholic in recovery for several months might think he can handle going to the bar “just to see his old friends.’  A drug user in recovery might think he has enough clean time that he can go to a party where he knows some of his old friends will be using drugs.  These risky decisions can place you in serious danger of a relapse, a return to your old behavior.

Let’s be clear.  The person making this kind of risky decision doesn’t really have any real intention of returning to their old behavior of abusing alcohol or other drugs.  It is more a matter of setting themselves up, of laying the groundwork for a return to their former behavior.  It is more something that they allow to happen, rather than something they want to happen.  This is true, at lease, on the conscious level.  Unconsciously, however, they may be planning to ‘accidently’ return to their old behavior.

While He was always willing to forgive sinners, Jesus also challenged them to change their behavior.  The woman caught in the act of adultery, for example, was told that Jesus did not condemn her.  He also told her that she must change her behavior and, as He said, “Sin no more.”  He says the same to us.  He does not condemn us, but he does expect us change our lives.  He expects us to avoid whatever leads us to sin.