Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: The decision
• Method 2 of 4: Seek help
• Method 3 of 4: Make a plan
• Method 4 of 4: Quitting and withdrawal symptoms
• Tips
• Warnings

A drug addiction can make you feel like you can never get rid of it, but no matter how bad you are, it's never too late to quit! You first have to figure out for yourself why you want to quit. This will help you maintain the process once you have started it. Then make a plan and find support groups and people who can advise you as you go through the withdrawal phase and try to shape your new life. If you want to learn how to get rid of your addiction, follow the steps below.

To step

Method 1 of 4: The decision

1. List all the negative sides of your drug addiction. If you write down how your addiction has ruined your life, you can use this as motivation to improve your life. Do not write down general things, but specific cases where you notice this your life has changed because of your addiction. Once you've got it all written down, this may be a bit painful, but the list will only help you get through the tart in the long run.
   • Write down how your addiction ruined your body. Drug addiction is bad for your skin, your organs, your teeth and causes many other physical discomfort as well. You should also note the subtle effects, such as the weight loss and the fact that your face starts to look old much faster.
   • Write down the effects of drugs on your mental health. Addictions often exacerbate mental health problems that are already present or cause these types of problems to develop. Do you suddenly feel depressed or scared? You may be using drugs to forget your negative feelings, but know that drugs will only make your problem worse.
   • Write down the effects of drugs on your social life. Your addiction has likely cost you relationships with others. You may prefer not to meet new people or make new friends, it can be difficult to find a job or be a reliable part of a group if you are addicted.
   • Does your addiction have far-reaching financial consequences? Try to keep track of how much money your addiction has already cost you, and how much it costs per day, week, month, and year.
   • Think about the time your addiction will take you. You think about drugs almost all day, how to find them, use them, how you will feel and how you will score even more afterwards.
2. Write down any positive changes you expect to experience after quitting your addiction. You should now have written down all the negative sides of your current situation and all the expected positive sides of a sober existence. Everything negative will disappear and you will have a chance to live a better, healthier life.
   • You will feel a lot better if you spend your money and time on something other than drugs.
   • Your relationships will improve as your friends and family trust you again. You will also get a lot more opportunities to meet new friends or girlfriends without that big obstacle that keeps getting in your way now.
   • You will have a lot more money left over this way.
   • You will feel a lot better and healthier.
   • You will be proud of yourself and your confidence will return.
3. Write down any reasons you can think of for quitting. You can take the aforementioned list as an example. Also write down some mantras to use if you feel the urge to use them again. Your motivation to quit should be personal and important enough so that you always stick to your decision when choosing between quitting and continuing. Below are a few examples:
   • Decide that you are going to stop so that your wife can look at you with pride instead of concern.
   • Decide that you are going to quit because you want to keep enough money to live on your own without needing the money of others every time.
   • Decide that you are going to quit to regain your health. You are going to quit because you want to live a long time and be there for your loved ones.

Method 2 of 4: Seek help

1. Seek help from friends and family. When you are addicted it is very difficult to quit completely without help. Talk to your family and friends about the process you're going through to find out who you can trust. It is very important that your loved ones help you when you need their help. Once you are clean you will need them to prevent relapse.
   • It is important that you get help from others, but don't assume that they will do the work for you. So you shouldn't start the process of doing someone else a favor, the motivation to quit has to come from you, because you can't let it depend on others. You may not be allowed to interact with certain people that you know are still using during drug withdrawal. For health reasons, you should stay away from people who are using in front of you. This may take a lot of effort at the beginning of the process, but you will eventually find new friends.
2. Join a support group. It helps to talk to people who are going through the same process. You don't have to hide anything in such a group, while you prefer not to tell your family and friends about certain things. Another advantage of a group is that there may be resources available that you otherwise wouldn't have. There are many groups you can join.
   • Narcotics Anonymous will encourage you to share your story with others and talk to others who have already gone through the process you are starting.
   • SMART Recovery helps addicts stay clean by teaching certain self-control techniques. This is a good alternative for people who have nothing to do with the 12-step method.
   • There are also online support groups that you can use to connect with other people who are going through or have already gone through the same process as you such as the Recovery Social Network.
3. Find a therapist you feel good about. Look for someone who is specialized in this field, has enough experience and a good reputation. The method used can differ per therapist, and can vary from cognitive behavioral therapy to life skills training. You can also opt for one-on-one therapy, which works especially if you trust someone and prefer not to share stories in a group situation.
4. You have to decide for yourself whether a supervised program is best for you or not. If you don't think you can get rid of your addiction without supervision, you may have to go to a clinic and then possibly live in a separate house with other ex-addicts for a while to gradually get back into society. When you go into withdrawal, you often get psychological problems because of the withdrawal symptoms that can be very painful and sometimes even dangerous. If you stay in a clinic you will be helped through the worst symptoms.
   • Depending on the drug you are addicted to, you may need to take certain medications to get off the habit, as in some cases it can be very dangerous to quit overnight.
   • Most clinics have medical support and often also offer programs that you can participate in alone or in groups.

Method 3 of 4: Make a plan

1. You should try to find out why you are using. Do you find that in certain places or in the company of certain people you have a stronger tendency to use drugs? It is important that you identify the people and places that trigger you. You may not be able to avoid them altogether, and even if you could, it does not change the fact that you will still feel the need to use them. However, it does help to avoid these people and places as much as possible. These are some of the triggers that many people suffer from:
   • Drug users. If you often interact with people who also use drugs, it is very difficult to stay clean. So it is better not to deal with those people if you want to stop yourself.
   • Places where you feel the urge to use. Maybe there is a certain place or part of the city where your tendency to use is stronger, if so you should stay away from that place.
   • Situations or emotions that worsen the tendency to use. It could be something as harmless as a situation in a movie where people use or your own desperation when you think about an ex-boyfriend. You know best what triggers you.
2. Clean your house or apartment thoroughly so that you can make a fresh start. If you keep being reminded of your addiction, it is more difficult to quit. You must throw away all objects related to your drug history. You can clean up your living space in the following ways:
   • Clean your house or apartment.
   • Stock up on plenty of food to stay strong for the first time after you quit, and don't engage in activities that consume a lot of energy. You will need all your strength to overcome your addiction. In particular, make sure you eat enough protein. This ensures that your blood values ​​remain stable, so that your mood remains constant.
   • You can re-wallpaper the rooms in your house that you used to use or at least buy new furniture. Make it feel like a newly decorated room.
   • Buy calming items such as candles, new sheets, CDs, plants, anything that can help you calm down.
3. Have a schedule with achievable goals and clear deadlines. Before you stop, carefully taper down your drug use on the basis of some predetermined goals. It is important that you discuss this with a professional and together make a plan with clear actions and an end date to which you can work towards which you will eventually be clean.
   • A calendar is a great tool to monitor progress and remind yourself of your commitments.
   • People often make sure that the last day they use is on a special day, such as a birthday or holiday. In this way, the special meaning of that day provides extra motivation to stay clean during the process.

Method 4 of 4: Quitting and withdrawal symptoms

1. Stick to your deadlines. Make sure to stop your drug use on the scheduled date. It is not easy but you have to bite through the sour apple! If you need help you should report this to your family and friends, that's what you have family and friends for!
   • Make sure you are very busy during the first days and weeks. If you have time to spare too often, you will be tempted to use it again.
   • Hang out with people who don't use drugs and who can stick to your goals. When you hang out with a new group of friends, they can help you stay clean.
2. If you want to use again, think about the motivation for your drug use and get the list you made. Think about how important all the reasons you wrote down then are compared to drugs. Your relationships, your health and your life are at stake. Always remember this when you feel the urge to use reappear.
3. If you are stressed you have to deal with this in a healthy way. You can no longer use drugs, so you will have to deal with your stress in a different way. Make sure your new method is soothing to your body and mind. Here are some ways to relieve your stress:
   • Go outside more often.
   • Move! Many people experience the benefits of endorphins, a substance released during sports such as jogging, swimming or jumping rope.
   • Listen to calming music.
   • Take a long, warm bath.
   • Use aromatherapy to calm you.
4. Some people do not ignore the urge to use and let themselves feel the urge. In that case, it helps to pretend that the tendency is a wave that you can surf over until it disappears.
5. Focus on building a new life. When you have completed the worst part of the journey, you can spend more time building your life by improving relationships with colleagues, family and friends and seeking out new hobbies.
   • During this time, you should continue to attend meetings to talk to your support group about how you are doing. Quitting an addiction does not happen automatically, so you are only cured when everything goes well again, which can take a while.
6. If you have a relapse, you should discuss this right away before you completely relapse into your old behavior. However, do not be too hard on yourself, a relapse during this period is not strange and it does happen more often, if you pick up the thread again afterwards, it is not a disaster. Try to identify for yourself why you relapsed and then start the process over. However long it takes you can get it done, it's worth it!

Tips

• Preferably always be honest. This will help you!
• Boredom is the first step towards relapse, so always have something to do.
• Stay positive and spend time with others, don't feel lonely.
• Look in a mirror and tell yourself you can handle this! This strengthens your self-confidence.
• Avoid people who use or used drugs. Make new friends who can help you in this process. Your old friends can support you first and then tempt you to join them again.
• Find a group of people who are in the same situation. People who know what it is like to kick the habit and can guide you through the process.
• You may not want to, but exercise will lessen the pain of your withdrawal symptoms.
• Take a few minutes every day to perform some stretching and stretching exercises. Meditate for twenty minutes every day, focusing only on the sound of your breath during that time. This exercise will help you after you overcome your addiction.
• You are not the only person to experience this, thousands have gone before you and understand how difficult this process is.
• If you suffer from temperature changes, you should wear clothes that you can easily put on and take off.
• Think about people who love you.
• Reading helps you focus on other things.
• Make a list of things you enjoy so that when the time comes, you have a list of things you can do instead of using drugs.
• It's always easier to quit drug use when you're not doing other important things. However, it is not smart to wait for that time, because you could be dead by then.

Warnings

• You cannot overcome a serious addiction based on willpower alone. Drug use changes physical and mental health. So seek professional help if you want to kick the habit.
• The withdrawal phase can be dangerous and even deadly. Therefore, always consult a medical professional before starting rehab.
• If you go to a doctor for help with your problem, this information, although illegal, can be passed on and cause problems during job interviews or when purchasing insurance. However, you will have much bigger problems if you actively use drugs and then apply somewhere or try to get insurance. If you notice that your medical information has been passed on illegally, you should hire a lawyer.
• In the US, you can get help with drug addiction through your city, region, and state. This can take a long time depending on the region where you live.
• In the United Kingdom, the waiting time at the Ministry of Social Affairs is between 4 weeks and 9 months.