Addiction has a way of sweeping into your life. You may assume that you have it under control, but all it needs is a small window to walk right in. Some people can bounce back and wean off their addiction themselves, while for others, their health takes a toll for the worst.
The first step in overcoming any form of addiction is accepting you have a problem. Denial and addiction are best friends. You may believe you don’t have it wrong, but reality depicts otherwise. However, stepping away from addiction isn’t easy. Here are some challenges that make it difficult to overcome addiction:
Table of Contents
1. An Onslaught Of Cravings
Cravings are intense feelings. For instance, when you crave chocolate, your brain projects an image, which may become so severe you start visualizing the product in front of you. Drugs have a similar lingering effect. You crave the rush and the feeling they give you. If you were in the habit of using drugs throughout the day, you would get hit with strong urges. Your mood will also dramatically shift. You will get irritable, antsy, and even aggravated. In such cases, one should consult for professional services at a treatment center for therapeutic assistance.
2. Withdrawal Symptoms
When your body doesn’t get its usual hit, you experience withdrawals. You may throw up, get dizzy and even start sweating. In severe cases, you may even begin to tremble and get intense body aches. It is hard to withstand withdrawals, coping on your own. You may even end up taking more than you should out of pure agony. While you can wean off drugs staying at home, it’s best to have someone with you. A professional can make sure there are no drugs within reach that can restart the cycle.
3. You Feel Like A Failure
A defeatist mindset can make it difficult for you to find your momentum. You may seep into depression, feel anxious and not want to try. It also makes you want to isolate yourself from others and not seek professional help. For someone who’s trying to recover from addiction, your progress may waver. Sometimes the feeling of self-hatred may be so strong that you may stagger under pressure. You may start looking for ways to escape your thoughts, and the most accessible outlet is going back to drugs.
4. Reforming Relationships
Due to addiction, your relationships may suffer. Your families and friends may no longer be in touch with you. It will take great effort on your part to reach out to your family. There is a chance they’re not interested in reforming a relationship with you. In such cases, you may feel ashamed and isolated. Lack of acceptance from family can be disheartening. You may find it hard to stay on track if you can’t find a support system for yourself. The most you can do is approach your friends and family and talk to them. It would help if you were as transparent as possible about your addiction. The rest depends on your loved ones how they react to you.
5. Increase In Stress
Getting back on your feet is not easy. As an addict, it was easy to pass the time with addiction. However, outside of addiction, it is not easy to find work to do. You may be unemployed for some time. You may have an incomplete degree, and you may not have enough money. The troubles of the natural world are stressful. There is much to do, and you may get overwhelmed when you don’t have a starting point. Stress is bad for recovery. You may start going back to older habits and destroy the progress you make. Life as a sober person is not easy to keep up with.
6. Leaning Back On Old Habits
It would help if you broke out of old habits to make sure you can recover. That is finding a routine and sticking to it. Most addicts have a hard time and end up going back to old habits. That means at the slightest inconvenience. You may go back to your addiction. It is also hard to change your diet and develop a physical regime for yourself. You may get tired quickly, and your body may ache frequently. If you’re not used to eating correctly, it may also make it hard for you to have meals. For many people, their addiction served as a welcoming distraction. It also helped them pass the time. They liked using drugs to pass the time and even avoid boredom from seeping in.
7. Breaking Away From Older Influences
Some of us get into addiction due to the company we keep. If your company pressurizes you with no regard for your boundaries, they shouldn’t get kept around. These people will guilt trip you into staying sober and even mock you for a lifestyle change. You may have some form of codependency on these friends, and leaving them won’t be easy. If they know where you go, including your phone number, they will badger you. While change is not easy, it is necessary. Recovery makes you incredibly vulnerable. You may be emotional and give into going back to your friends. It is also not easy to find new friends right away. No one likes an extended period of being alone and may want to return to their old company.
8. Avoiding All Forms Of Medicines
Part of getting over an addiction is avoiding all kinds of drugs. You can’t afford even the slightest chemical components entering you and getting you addicted again. You may struggle to stay away from medicine. Withdrawals can get intense, and you may experience severe unbearable pain. In such cases, you would want medication right away, but you can’t. The same holds if you have to go for painful physical treatment. You may have to go for surgery or get injured along the way. The doctor is not allowed to administer painkillers, especially those after surgery. They may help you find alternatives to medicines, but those take much longer to work. So you will struggle to try to withstand the pain and focus on fixing yourself. Recovery is a slippery slope. The minute you show slight carelessness, you can fall right away.
Wrap Up
Drug addiction is challenging. Once you start, it is hard to tell how deep the addiction runs. If you want to come back from addiction, you need to work on yourself. Weaning off drugs is complex. Your body gets used to the rush, happiness, and euphoria they bring. If you take those feelings away, you get left with copious pain and body aches. Becoming clean also means you’re hyper-aware of your surroundings. You may feel more stressed, depressed, and confused and would want to go back to older habits. You will also need to face some tedious realities of life. These include breaking away from older influences and connecting with family again. Another hard-hitting truth is taking accountability for yourself. No one said recovery is easy, but it is essential. Your body and mind need to break free from drugs.
Tiffany is a Medical Student and also works as a fitness coach in part-time. She is also a writer and writes on health and fitness articles. Tiffany loves to engage with users and help them provide various useful information on General Health. She provides researched-based information and also featured on various blogs and magazines.