Here're Some Imperative Ways To Beat Your Addiction
Addiction is an extremely harmful and relapsing brain disease that develops due to the continuous use of addictive substances like drugs, and alcohol. In addition to that, certain behaviours like gambling also lead to addiction. In short, addiction is nothing but a psychological as well as a physical dependency on addictive substances and behaviours that activate the reward system in the brain, which is also known as the limbic system. There is no denying the fact that your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours are totally controlled by your brain. However, the persistent use of addictive substances starts affecting the smooth functioning of the brain. And when the use of addictive substances starts changing the way your brain functions it’s called addiction. It’s a condition which alters the way you think, feel and behave, and even after knowing that something is wrong with you, you can’t change your behaviour that activates the reward system. People who think that they can recover from their addiction on their own, are among those who end up struggling with it for the longest period of time. And since we have already discussed that it’s a brain disease it’s really not that easy to recover from it without professional help. Until you take professional help you can’t beat your addiction. The worst part is that, even if you recover from your disease, there are enormous chances of it returning back if you fail to abide by the instructions and advice offered by your healthcare expert. When you go for addiction treatment, your physical
symptoms will definitely be addressed, but the emotions related to your problem can definitely trigger cravings in the future. Now here is a thing, no one wants to get addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling etc., but it happens, and even when they want to come out of it they can’t. Most of the people who struggle with addiction have tried addictive substances and activities in the beginning just to have fun. But since the use of addictive substances and activities triggers the reward system of the brain, people start feeling good and hence they feel like engaging with them over and over again, which eventually leads to addiction.
Risk Factors For Addiction Environment People who are exposed to the environment where addictive substances are present remain at the higher risk of developing an addiction. For example, if you have grown up in a house wherein your parents used to consume drugs and alcohol frequently with their friends, then you definitely remain at a greater risk of developing a substance abuse disorder compared to those who are not exposed to such environment. Since you have seen people engaging with drugs and alcohol from your childhood, you will also feel the need of doing the same.
Genetics There are several studies that show genetics is one of the most important factors that lead to addiction. It is believed that nearly 40-60 percent of people face the risk of struggling with a substance abuse disorder because of their genes. According to National Institute On Drug Abuse, "Family studies that include identical twins, fraternal twins, adoptees, and siblings suggest that as much as half of a person’s risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs depends on his or her genetic makeup."
Mental Illnesses Another important factor that enhances the risk of addiction is mental illnesses like anxiety disorder and depression etc. Yes, people, you suffer from conditions like anxiety disorder or depression, try to find happiness in their life by using addictive substances. Since engaging in addictive substances and activities make them feel good for some time, they love to consume them over and over again. According to Charter Harley Street, "A formal understanding would describe addiction as a disease. Neuro-biological research tells us that addiction operates in the brain, over stimulating the reward pathways so that the addict experiences pleasure and, crucially, avoids feeling negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger or perhaps a reaction to past trauma."
Here is How Addiction Affects The Brain The excessive use of addictive substances like drug and alcohol have an extremely devastating impact on your brain. Though it's true that consumption of addictive substances has a tremendous impact on your entire body, the most affected part remains your brain. The use of addictive substances increase the levels of dopamine in your brain, which eventually triggers the reward system. It’s important for you to understand that the reward system is naturally triggered by activities like eating food when you are too hungry, drinking water when you are too thirsty, and by spending quality time with your friends and family, which makes you happy. However, when the same reward system is constantly triggered by unnatural activities like consuming heavy amounts of drugs and alcohol, after a period of time it becomes difficult for your brain to release the normal amount of dopamine, which creates enormous problems for you. In short, the constant engagement with addictive substances and activities rewires your brain to use them over and over again, despite their harmful consequences.
Tips for Recovering from addiction Although the constant use of drugs and alcohol affects the functioning of your brain, that doesn’t mean you can’t recover from your addiction. Addiction recovery is possible if you are ready to put efforts in this direction.
Accept You Have A Problem One of the biggest steps in the recovery process is to understand and accept the fact that you are suffering from a serious mental illness and you need to take right steps to treat it. Most of the times, when people fail to recognise that they have a problem, they never find a solution for it, which degrades the quality of their life with the passage of time.
Get Ready To Change The Course of Your Life It’s important for you to collect your inner strength and ensure that you need to make necessary changes to improve your life. Nothing is easy in this world so you must put your hundred percent especially if you are trying to bring that much-needed change which can improve the quality of your life. Persistent efforts are very important, otherwise, you won’t be able to see the necessary improvements. Your inner belief that you can recover from your condition can actually bring a world of difference in your life. No matter what it takes to quit drugs and alcohol, you have to promise yourself that you will try your level best to do that.
Rely On Your Support System It’s very important for addicts to figure out that their support system can help them in every step of their life. People, who fail to realise the importance of a support system, are among those who continue to struggle with their problems on their own. However, the moment you start trusting that your father, mother or siblings are always there to help you with your problems, you will start feeling much better. So, if your family knows about your addiction, let them know that you are trying to recover from it, and they will surely help you.
Figure Out The Best Treatment Option Addiction recovery is just not possible in the absence of a right treatment. Therefore, you have to be very careful about identifying your treatment options. One of the best ways to treat your problem is to take therapy from a reliable rehab centre. You can either opt for an inpatient treatment or an outpatient treatment. There several types of psychotherapy that can treat patients suffering from addiction. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy, psychodynamic and psychoanalysis therapies, interpersonal psychotherapy, and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) are some of the important types of psychotherapy that are used exclusively for treating addiction. So, once you visit a good rehab centre, your therapist will figure out what kind of therapy is best for you. Remember, not all the addiction treatments offered at a rehab centre are meant for everyone. Each patient has a unique condition, and their treatment is also based on that. So, once your therapist is aware of your problem, they will design a treatment plan to suit your requirement. Psychotherapy helps in addressing the thoughts and emotions that make it difficult for a person to stay away from addictive substances and activities. For example, the victim starts developing coping skills to deal with their cravings, thoughts and emotions. So, find a good rehab centre for your treatment if you want to make your life beautiful again. Source by: http://www.curehacks.com/ways-beat-your-addiction/