4 Ways Of Motivating Yourself To Be Drug-Free
Undoubtedly, fighting addiction is no easy feat, especially when it comes to drug addiction. Due to excessive drug usage, your mind and body become increasingly dependent on drugs. One has to constantly go against the desires of the mind and body for a successful drug addiction recovery. The most challenging part of drug addiction recovery is rewiring your brain into leaving drugs.
People who face a relapse lack the motivation needed to stop drug usage. Guilt from past mistakes, lack of support, hope, and loneliness drag such people behind. Ultimately, they are forced to continue drug abuse to reduce stress and depression.
However, many drug-addicted individuals bounce back and complete their journey of being drug-free. While it may not be an easy task, being drug-free is worth it. All you need is determination and motivation to continue this challenging journey of yours.
Here are four ways of motivating yourself to be drug-free.
Table of Contents
Find new activities to have fun
Before addiction recovery, people resort to various drugs as their go-to for every solution to their problem. These drugs provide an instant way to soothe the mind by forgetting all issues faced in life. But, it is just an illusion.
Addiction levels vary, so people with severe addiction are constantly dragged behind due to their desires. In such a situation, it’s crucial to get help from a recognized rehabilitation center like Serenity at Summit for specialized treatment programs in a non-judgemental and collaborative environment designed to remove drug-induced habits.
As a user, you might think that this temporary relief from your problems is the solution to life, but if you think long-term happiness, drugs are never the solution; in fact, they’re the cause of the problem.
One of the best ways to take your mind away from addiction is to start playing a new sport, play video games, or hang out with friends. You’ll see real happiness is not in drugs but being in the company of those who care about you.
Get support
You can’t succeed in fighting addiction alone. It’s crucial to get help and support from your loved ones, such as friends and family. Stress and depression from excessive drug abuse might make you feel alone; however, that will quickly lead to a relapse.
Isolation decreases motivation, and as you won’t see any hope for a better life, it may seem that no one cares about your situation or wants to understand you. Feeling abandoned will significantly disrupt your mental health and give you the urge to continue using drugs.
So, instead of being isolated, reach out to your loved ones and allow them to support you. Spend as much time as you can with your family, as it will increase your hope, leading to an increase in motivation.
Furthermore, you can also hang out with friends who are also trying to be drug-free. Spending time with people in a similarly challenging situation will inspire you to stay determined throughout your drug addiction recovery.
If you don’t have such friends, there are several communities for recovering drug addicts you can join and share your experience with. Moreover, you can also get mental support from a counselor if you can’t find anyone else to talk to about your situation.
Let go of past mistakes
People trying to be drug-free often feel guilty and ashamed, thinking about their mistakes that led to drug addiction. You may start to accuse yourself of ruining your own life while feeling guilty about unkind or inappropriate actions you might’ve taken when you were under the influence of drugs. As a result, stress and depression increase, and you lose your will to continue the journey of being drug-free.
Instead of letting your past mistakes stop you from leading a healthier and happier life, try to let go of them and learn from them. After all, you can’t change the past, so it’s best to move on with your current life.
More importantly, you can avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Moreover, to reduce guilt and shame, you can use your past experiences to help others passing through the same phase of drug addiction.
Even if you couldn’t stop yourself from drug addiction, it’s still possible to help countless other people.
Reward yourself
During recovery, you will make significant progress towards leading a drug-free life and achieving things you couldn’t imagine. It’s essential to reward yourself at each stage of the recovery process and keep yourself motivated.
If you don’t acknowledge your efforts, you won’t feel any change in life, leading to stress and depression – known triggers for drug abuse.
Rewarding yourself will make you aware of your progress in being drug-free, giving you hope and motivation to continue the journey. Furthermore, treating yourself will also make the recovery process more enjoyable.
So, whenever you complete a goal, make sure to reward yourself, for example, by celebrating with your family or friends. Did you know that many studies also support the effect of rewards on motivation?
Conclusion
Fighting drug addiction can be challenging for everyone. After all, drugs have become an essential need for your mind and body. However, you can combat this problematic situation by staying motivated throughout the journey, as it’s the main driving force behind every task.
You may suffer some setbacks along the way; however, the methods mentioned above will help you stay motivated and determined.