Fighting Addiction

There are times in your life that define you.

Moments when the choice you make will have massive ripples across the rest of your life. These times are often confusing as you stand at a cross roads with the power in your own hands. You may think of the first time you hit the pipe or when you knew you had a problem and kept going anyway. These were defining moments too but they’re nothing compared to the courage and tremendous power that comes from the day you decide to beat your addiction and change your life forever.

Yes, it’s hard. It won’t be easy.

That’s why it’s such a challenge and a glorious achievement when you are successful. Fighting addiction is a massive undertaking that requires a large degree or personal conviction and focus. But as with anything worth winning or achieving, it will require sacrifice and persistence. Prepare yourself for a battle and dig your heels into the ground. You’re made of stronger stuff than chemicals.

Starting is key.

The long journey begins with a single step. There is a momentum that builds up when you declare that it’s time to kick the habit and beat this thing once and for all. Once you declare to yourself and others that you’re on the path of recovery, the fight is on and those close to you will help. Starting the process of recovery is all it takes to get the ball rolling and, with proper treatment and support, its momentum will carry you through.

Getting help makes the difference. There is nothing more key to a successful addiction recovery than a support group of understanding friends, family, or peers to whom you can turn and lean on when the battle is kicking you in the teeth. 

Just talking things out with others will bring your addiction out of the shadows where it’s been hiding and out in the open where it can be managed. 

The Detoxification Marathon.

The worst part of the struggle, for many people, is the detox. Suffering through what can be devastating physical withdrawal symptoms is akin to a night in hell. This dark night of the soul can last for days and involve headaches, irritability, racing heart, muscle tension, tremors, nausea, and vomiting. No picnic in the park, is it? It’s a marathon that will feel like a punishment from some angry god but it’s just a part of the body’s process. Rely on the strength of your support group and treatment professionals and get yourself through it. Hope is on the other side.

One day at a time.

After the detox nightmare is over, there are better days ahead. Each day will confront you with old triggers and beckoning temptations but with support and focus, you can conquer the relapse every day. 

Don’t focus on the number of times you’ll be tested in coming years, that way lies madness. Instead, just focus on today. Decide each morning that at least for TODAY, addiction doesn’t win.

Sometimes the siren call of your addiction will seem like a much-needed release or indulgence, especially when times are tough. But, in order to succeed in changing your life for the better, you must learn to see that temptation to use as an enemy to be met on the battle field. It’s insidious and persistent, always taunting you. But after recovery treatment, you’re a trained warrior. Square off against your demons and see them as small, insignificant animals to be tamed and conquered. You’ll be surprised how much of a warrior is already in your soul.

If you are one of the brave, one of the fighters who has overcome the detox and battles daily with relapse, then you know a key fact in addiction recovery; that you are not alone. Weathering treatment and overcoming the difficult life changes necessary in the following weeks, months, and years to remain sober and healthy, you are placed in a much more important role. You are now a recovering addict and can help other recovering addicts who are set to do battle with those same demons.

You are not alone.

After fighting through addiction, you learn something about yourself and this knowledge can be given back, or paid forward, to others who have traveled the same path as you. It is often said that we learn best by teaching and this holds true for addiction recovery. By participating in support groups, we see ourselves go from the newbie to the veteran as new recovering addicts come into our circle.

We support each other and we fight as a group.

Achieving sobriety after a difficult addiction is a major accomplishment. You can help others just by sharing your story and listening to theirs. We support each other and we fight as a group. Treatment is really only the first step in a long story of recovery that stretches out over the course of your life. Fight for a change in your life and fight for the ones standing next to you.