Addiction
Do you play it safe or are you more adventurous in your addiction? Are you playing it safe in your addiction recovery? What is the main thing motivating you to halt your addiction?
With risk comes uncertainty and it may involve loss or other unwanted results.
Motivation
Motivation is a driving force that initiates, guides and maintains a behavior.
The pull towards our addiction is stronger than the pull towards recovering.
How do I maximize my strength to overcome this addiction?
Reasons why you may want to maintain sobriety is that your life has improved dramatically.
Have you forgotten the pain you have endured?
While you used, you were considered ‘vulnerable’ and you were easily abused by others.
The challenges that happen in your life now are easily overcome because, you are of sound mind. There are times when your obedience may seem risky, but from God’s perspective, there’s no danger since He controls all things and never fails to accomplish His purposes.
Although, you must understand that your needs will not be met right away. Where is God calling you to trust Him? Each time you face risk, it’s an opportunity to experience His faithfulness firsthand?
Giving up an addiction for another person does not allow you to do it for yourself. It doesn’t allow you to invest in yourself. Hence, causing you will loose motivation in your own recovery status. Another person that is making you go into recovery can develop anger towards them. Eventually you may have resentment towards the person/people who forced you into recovery. This includes the legal system.
Bad Choices Made In Addiction
Addiction doesn’t help you think clearly. You must understand that you are unable to make rational choices and you may even make bad choices because of peer pressure.
I’ve seen and experienced people having memory problems and the inability of making good choices when it comes to being in a 24 hour care facility for thirty days plus!
Unrealistic Expectations
Are you thinking that giving up an addiction will make your life perfect? Your life won’t be perfect. Eventually you may have relationships to repair, you may have suffered greatly with a loss of a family member.
Separation, rejection and alienation are unpleasant experiences. We normally try to avoid experiencing them. The isolation from other people is bad enough. In our thoughts, attitudes and behavior we’ve all violated Gods commands. Yet our relationship with God is beneficial to your well-being yet, something stands in its way.
Motivated
Being motivated is a crucial component to recovery because it defines the reasons why we act or behave in a particular way.
This is the start of your journey. Recovery is a process and not an event! It’s all about experimenting and trying new things that will benefit you in the long run. This will keep you focused on things that are interesting and it will keep you motivated.
Life will become stressful. Work will become overwhelming and life may even feel like its not as fun being sober.
When recovery fatigue strikes, relapse becomes a concern.
Seek help!!!
Be aware of the danger signs; when you anxiety starts increasing, when anger is present, when you are becoming defensive, when you are having mood swings, when you are not wanting help, when you are feeling overwhelmed, and when you start lying.
Relapse Happens
Relapse may be starting because you have lost the motivation to stay sober or because you re-associated with the people you used to use with.
There will be ups and downs, highs and lows.
Think about what ‘substance’ has done to your life and what will happen if you start up again. This feeling a ‘craving’ will last for only 15-30 minutes. Learn ways on how you can get yourself to re-focus onto something else!
When you share your thoughts and feelings with another person the desire to use will often diminish. Go to a meeting. Spending the time with other in recovery can get your thinking back on track. Pray for the strength and ask Jesus to step in. Allow Him to be in the middle as you beg him to take it away (give it) to Him. He will help you overcome the addiction.
The Battle Against Addiction
The battle against addiction is in your own mind the thoughts and feelings and they keep occurring. You try to act in ways that you want and some days you will find it easy to dismiss thoughts of using. But sometimes the battle in your mind will feel overwhelming. When those times come upon you as they do for most people in recovery you will want support to be within easy reach.
You can’t always fight this addiction by yourself.
Sadly when people relapse they often fall rapidly into the same disaster that occurred when they were using in the past. Have a plan to get back on track before you suffer some terrible consequences.
The closest people you will want in your life are the one’s who are willing to hold and keep you accountable. Those who are willing to give you a drug test, willing to take your keys away from you and willing to even take money you would use to purchase the substance, is willing to be your sponsor and a safe person who will not enable you.
My distant friend I want to challenge you to go to Celebrate Recovery, to call your sponsor, to find a mentor or life coach that you meet with regularly. Someone who is safe and refuses to allow you to connect you to past places, people, things, etc., and that is willing to show you tough love.
You want your sponsor to call your family and friends and ask them to support you in your recovery, to take you to meetings, and to refuse to accept any of your excuses to use a substance again.
Community Addiction Recovery Connections
Join Celebrate Recovery to help you build some healthy relationships with other like minded people who are motivated to also stay sober.
Journaling is a great way to keep us motivated by writing what we are grateful for each and everyday. Recovery is not a smooth journey, there will be good times and difficult times. During these times its important to find something to be grateful for throughout the day. Make lists and remember there is always something to be grateful for.
As time passes its easy to forget what our struggles were and the reasons we wanted to lead a sober life. Are you becoming complacent? Are you progressing?
Journaling allows you to go back and read about the progress you have made on your journey to a better life of living.
Make Achievable Goals
Setting short-term and long-erm goals can keep you on track and give you a rewarding feeling of accomplishment and the progress you have made toward a specific and measurable goal. Make sure your goals are measurable and specific.
Self-Care goals should be that you are willing to spend 10-30 minutes a day doing something you enjoy for yourself. Remember that it is easy to get caught up in the busy routines of life; work, relationships, household responsibilities, meetings, and obligations.
If you don’t find balance in your life you will become overwhelmed and stressed out. Take time and read, journal, meditate, pray, exercise, practice a hobby, play music, or even listen to music.
Short-Term goals (this month) find God, one can find meaning in Him and through His Word.
It’s great to be Truly connected to something bigger than yourself.
Medium-Term goals (over the next 6-12 months)
Long-Term goals (1-3 years) eventually you will be able to maintain a healthier life of sleep, eating, and fitness. Addiction wreaks havoc on our bodies.
Chaos can be overwhelming. Keeping a structured schedule is key to keeping your mind focused on your recovery.
- What healthy and positive activities can you do, create in your life?
Volunteering your time doing something you are passionate about helps you individually as much as the program you are volunteering for and the people you are investing in.
Seek It Out
Seek help if you are struggling in your journey to recovery. Recovery is a journey and that means there will be bumps along the way. It’s about making progress, not having perfection in it. Everyone struggles during their journey and being honest about your struggles allows you to reach out to those who are supportive and willing to help you.
Learn to build a support system and use it often. The people you reach out too might be able to redirect you on your journey by sparking you with more motivation to continue on your path of recovering.
Recovery from a substance is not an event, it’s a journey. It may be a journey plagued with lots of starts and stops. It’s a chronic disease and to recover you need to learn to manage your life differently.
Addiction Relapse Prevention Plan
Having an addiction relapse prevention plan will help you keep moving along on your recovery journey.
- Take time for yourself on this long journey of recovering remember it takes time. Treat yourself with love, grace and compassion. You are tender and worthy of recovery.
Detox is not the only thing you will go through,
Accept the co-occurring events of depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, abuse that have transpired.
- Seek recovery and understand that you cannot travel this road alone. When things start spiraling out of control the addiction starts taking over your logic.
Addiction lives behind lies and secrecy. Face this at face value!
- Stay truthful and be accountable when it comes to lies and secrecy.
- Be willing to make some tough choices. Tough choices mean making changes.
- Build a better life by not giving up, adopt a new lifestyle. learn to dream again.
You have used a substance for a particular reason.
- It may be because, you want to stop feeling something in particular.
- It could be to escape, forget, or avoid something.
The driving need to is to change what you’re thinking about and what you are feeling.
- Learn to identify the emotion and thought that led you to use a substance, what changes where you expecting when you used the substance?
- Was it a desire to make memories go away, overcome shyness, have more fun?
- Is it anger, depression, anxiety, physical pain, boredom, stress, financial problems, loneliness, conflict with others, mood swings, a need to fit in, reduce your fear?
Stress Monitoring
Stress is a major reason why people may want to use a substance to get away from it all.
- How do we reduce the stress or at least manage it? Exercise, and getting away from our devices helps me greatly.
- Where is the stress coming from? Is it from employment, financial hardships, abusive relationships, chronic pain, trauma or exhaustion?
- What activities can you do to help reduce your stress? read books, listen to music, meditate, exercising, journaling, painting, drawing, sewing, praying,
Are you Stinking Thinking?
What are the thoughts, ideas and rationalization that you are wanting to use?
- Identify and stop the thinking that drags you back toward your addiction.
- Replace these thoughts with positive thoughts to keep you clean and sober.
Remember that from a death-bound, sinful, depraved heart God brings about a brand-new creature – one that’s forgiven and made righteous, in whom His Holy Spirit takes up residence in us.
We will continue to struggle with sin as we go about our lives. A new nature that’s been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth even as we remain in fallen fleshly bodies.
Addiction Changes You Will Need To Make In Your Life
Nothing changes if nothing changes. you must change your life, create a life where it easier to not use. Stay away from what triggers you; people, areas you lived, worked at, places, etc.
I need to stay away from certain people because they use, I will avoid certain places because they were sources for finding the substances. I need to stay away from the people who created stress and conflict in your life. Places I went is a lifestyle I no longer want to be part of. Certain people are not willing to support the changes I need to make in your life going forward. Places tempt you to use, avoid things that have been associated with using, type of music, type of living situations, clothing I was wearing, activities I was involved in
I must reflect on these changes and I understand that these will not be easy for you to make.
Major changes of living, work, etc. you may need someone to assist you with some resources to get you to a new area, job, etc.
Now that you know what you want to cut out of your life or change in your life you can move on knowing you are creating a new life of healing. Who and what do you want to add to your new life? You deserve it
- Addiction destroys our goals in life.
- Addiction loves lies and secrets and will flourish in their presence
A Clearer Picture
Recovery will become infinitely stronger as you identify where you want to go and start striving to get there. When life has a clearer purpose, it takes on a new meaning and motivation.
- Addiction is like the devil prowling when you are at your weakest.
- Decide what you want to achieve.
- It may be keeping healthy relationships with others
- Learn how to maintain boundaries
- It could be learning how to communicate our wants, needs in a healthier way
- is is reducing the amount of conflict you allow in your life?
- Its important to avoid those who have used/hurt you
Stay healthy by learning how to eat a healthier meal. Improve your sleep habits, learn to stay active, exercising and make the time to relax and adventure out
Seek support from self-help groups like Celebrate Recovery. Work one on one with a counselor, have a sponsor, mentor or a life coach in your life.
Grow spiritually, by reading the Word, pray, meditating, and join a local church in your community
Moving Forward From Addiction
Knowing what helps and what hurts you will enable you to make better decisions. This will include having a positive attitude. Paying close attention to your symptoms when your body, mind, emotions and spirit start showing signs of neglect. This means I must act quickly to make things better.
Keeping a sense of purpose give meaning to your life. This should motivate you to stay on the right path
- I will ask for help, when I need it.
- I will continue to keep learning about addition so that I may help others too
- Your recovery will never be a sad or a lonely place.
- I will take care of myself. Remembering that being hungry, angry, lonely, tired are powerful invitations for the addiction to return.
- I will accepts life’s’ challenges and work through them. I accept that life is difficult.
- I accept that the task of recovery are all about becoming a better person. I’m a work in process. Becoming better at managing my stress, building healthy relationships and establishing goas and pursuing them with passion.
- I won’t neglect God any longer, I will continue to build your faith. He’s given you grace. I’m grateful for the many chances I have been given to not have lost your life to this addiction.
