“Getting Sober: Why You Should Seek Out an Addiction-Free Life Today”

Addiction is a tough thing to deal with—and that’s considered an understatement. In a society where everyone knows someone who’s struggling with substance abuse, it’s easy to see how severe the problem is.

Drug dependence is a multi-layered issue. It doesn’t just affect the addicted individual, it affects the community surrounding him. And just because it’s a common problem doesn’t mean we should give up and accept it as a fact of life. We should at least try to make it better.

It may sound idealistic, but we can still create a drug-free environment not only for us, but also for the future generations. We can still help people create a life that is free from addiction.

On this article we are going to discuss what it takes to get sober.

Why should you try to get sober?

Before you can even convince a person to try and get sober, you have to know the reasons why they shouldn’t stay addicted. Of course, there’s the most obvious reason: drugs can kill people.

And it’s not an exaggeration—it’s not a scare tactic to push people away from a life of addiction, tolerance and dependence. It’s a fact. Certain drugs, when taken at high doses, can cost a person their life. It can be an overdose or a sudden adverse reaction—but the truth is that drug abuse can’t be good for a person’s health, to the point where it can end someone’s life entirely.

There are many ways that drugs can kill people. With long term abuse, it can slowly put them through unpleasant health effects, gradually weakening them while also keeping them hooked. Or it can simply make them incapable of making good decisions, putting themselves in harm’s way or getting into accidents.

Not all drug addicted individuals die, that’s for sure. But the health effects don’t make their lives easier either.

Addiction puts people through a wide number of adverse effects: it all depends on the drug taken, abuse habits, and the person’s health condition. These effects may range from uncomfortable symptoms like nausea and headache, to life threatening seizures and coma.

Addiction also affects the mental health of the patient. They may suffer from memory problems, cognitive problems, or even suffer from psychological effects like psychosis, hallucinations, and depersonalization.

Beyond these health effects, the person will also struggle to form and maintain healthy relationships. The connections they have prior to getting addicted will likely be damaged. They will start prioritizing the drug over everything else, neglecting their own responsibilities in the process.

As these effects overwhelm the person, they begin to lose their sense of self-worth. They lose hope and their confidence takes a massive blow.

What does it take to get Sober?

Addiction, as challenging as it may be, can still be conquered. It is possible for the individual to make a full recovery. This long and difficult process starts with a single step: deciding to get better.

1. Change Starts from Within

We can list down all the ways that a person can get sober—we can write down all the effective methods and techniques—but it wouldn’t mean a thing if the addicted individual does not want to get sober at all. This is definitely the most challenging part of the process, because the thing about addiction is that it makes people unwilling to quit.

This is where it becomes a bit complicated: you cannot make a person quit the drug, and you shouldn’t try anyway. There are certain drugs that are dangerous when intake is ended abruptly. Withdrawal symptoms will make the patient suffer and cause them to relapse.

The only way to do this is to try and guide them towards the right path. Give them your support and try to convince them to get better. Otherwise, there’s nothing you can do. And it’s not your fault either. It’s just that addicted people must try to change on their own.

If they are unwilling to change, be sure that you’re not enabling them. You’re doing them more harm than good if you tolerate behavior that’s unacceptable. It is better to let them see the consequences of their actions and experience it for themselves.

Perhaps by seeing how addiction is ruining their life, they can decide to get sober.

2. Seeking Support

“Seeking support” can mean two different things: seeking support from friends and family members, and seeking support from medical professionals. The patient will need both in order to become sober. Once the person has admitted that they need help, be sure to provide everything they need to get better.

Friends and family members could give them additional strength to continue fighting. The first weeks and months of recovery are particularly difficult, and some moral support will go a long way. They will encounter challenging situations that may break apart all their progress—they’re gonna need other people to give them courage.

Support from medical professionals is necessary to get them back to perfect health. They will undergo treatment—the methods and techniques used will vary according to their needs.

The patient will most likely go through detoxification, wherein their drug intake is gradually lowered so that withdrawal isn’t as intense as it would’ve been. Addicted individuals will receive round-the-clock care.

In addition to this, they may go through counseling and behavioral therapy. Medications may get a person sober, but it will not keep them sober unless the person’s behavior is guided. They will be educated on various ways to cope with their cravings, as well as techniques on how to avoid relapsing.

They will learn how to live an addiction-free life.

3. Making a Plan

Willpower alone may not be enough to keep a person sober. It involves changing a lifestyle—a lifestyle that was ruined by drugs early on. It will take more than willpower and a support system. It’s going to take a plan.

The patient should have a plan on what they want to do from this point on. What do they do with a drug-free life? What will they try to achieve once they are free from the clutches of addiction? If they can’t answer this question, they may be vulnerable to relapse.

They must have a direction, moving forward. They can start by listing their goals, previous accomplishments, and what they wish to see or change within the next few months. Having this vision will help them stay focused on building a happy and productive life—one that does not revolve around drugs.

Addiction Free Solutions

Dont be problem focused. Be solution focused! At Addiction Free Solutions, we know that the solution lies within you. You have to commit to living a sober life. We help connect you with a center that can help assist you from detox and rehab to therapy. We want you to get the help that you need so you can go on and inspire others. Looking for in-patient, out-patient or sober living afterwards? We help you with that as well!