By: Louise Dickinson

Not scientifically reviewed by Dr. Eeks

Many people struggling with substance use disorder don’t believe they’re addicted and think they can stop using drugs whenever they like. This, however, makes drug dependence more prolonged and quitting more challenging. 

The first step to overcoming addiction and achieving successful recovery is realizing and accepting that a change is necessary. After that, you must prepare by eliminating triggers in your house and life. Next, seek treatment from a doctor, find an addiction treatment center near me, or consider counseling. Upon doing so, the last step is recovering.

If you find recovery difficult, you aren’t alone. It’s a common challenge for many people in fighting addiction. However, you could do some things to make your recovery manageable and successful. This post advises that you should:

• Avoid Tempting Situations

A tempting situation is anything that causes you to crave the drugs you’re trying to avoid. It can be hanging around friends who still use drugs, going into clubs and bars, or not being cautious with prescription drugs. These can disrupt recovery and lead to a relapse.

You can avoid these triggers by finding sober friends to spend time with and keeping off clubs, bars, and other tempting places. It’s also best to be careful with prescription medications. So, if you’re at a pharmacy, hospital, or clinic, inform the healthcare provider that you’re recovering from drug abuse. They’ll prescribe safe alternative medications that’ll keep you healthy and sober by lowering the chances of a relapse or dependence.

• Deal With Stress And Negative Emotions Healthily

Stress and negative emotions like guilt, sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, and anxiety are common during recovery yet are challenging to deal with too. Often, these cause many people in recovery to relapse.

Finding healthy ways to deal with the two is necessary to avoid using the drugs you’re trying to keep off. First, you should acknowledge that you feel stressed or have negative emotions rather than suppressing them. Doing so lets you easily establish why you’re experiencing what you’re feeling. 

A friend can offer great guidance if you talk to them about your concerns, struggles, and desires. A good therapist is also vital. They’ll help you work through your feelings and provide advice on pressing questions. Besides, they’ll guide you on how to cope with stress and negative emotions in a healthy way as well. They may recommend meditation, physical activity, journaling, massage, and positive self-talk.

• Prioritize Nutritional Foods

Drug use can prevent your body from accessing essential nutrients. As a result, your mental, emotional, and physical well-being is compromised. Some of the negative effects caused by drug abuse include:

• Organ Damage

Some substances can damage the liver, intestines, and other body organs that break down and process food. As a result, your body can’t absorb or circulate helpful nutrients.

• Appetite Loss

Drugs can make you forget to eat or suppress your appetite.

• Poor Eating Habits

Drugs can cause you to crave non-beneficial things like junk food and drinks. Since these can’t fill you, you could eat more than expected. Eating junk to satisfy your cravings and taking more than you should leads to malnutrition and poor health. 

Healthy eating enables your body and mind to heal faster and work more efficiently. This practice can support drug addiction recovery by enhancing physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Eating healthy foods nourishes your body and helps you increase your strength and focus. The habit can also assist in stabilizing your mood and overcoming unhealthy cravings. 

Some beneficial foods during recovery are:

• Yogurt

Yogurt has probiotics that promote good gut health. Therefore, it could repair your digestive system, enhancing nutrient absorption.

• Vegetables

Vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and several other essential nutrients that can nourish your body and return it to a healthy state. So, add kale, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, and others to your diet.

• Fish And Poultry

Fish and poultry have tyrosine. This amino acid aids in creating norepinephrine and dopamine, which help provide mental clarity, enhance your mood, and promote a sense of well-being. 

Foods like bananas, whole grains, and tofu can also support your recovery. Your physician or nutritionist can identify the best foods for you. Both of these professionals can help you create a meal plan to ensure healthy eating throughout the day.  

• Find Healthy Distractions

Engaging in drug abuse consumes a significant amount of your time. Therefore, you’ll discover you have much spare time during recovery. 

You’ll experience boredom without anything to do during this time. This can cause you to start craving drugs. You can avoid this by engaging in healthy distractions. 

You can pick up a new hobby, take walks, participate in community or church activities, join a gym, or find sober friends to spend time with. These can support your recovery by helping you avoid boredom, thereby keeping your mind off drugs.

• Have A Sober Support Network

Having a sober support network can also help during recovery. Start by cutting off relationships with people who are still using. You need to associate with individuals who can walk with you in your new journey and help ensure a full and successful recovery. This can be a trusted friend, a family member, or a spouse who’ll empower and encourage you to stay sober. 

Further, you can join a local or online recovery support group and attend meetings regularly. People in these gatherings have a similar experience to yours. So, they’ll be more understanding and can offer helpful insight about what worked for them in their recovery journey. 

Final Thoughts 

Fighting drug addiction and achieving full recovery isn’t always easy. However, many people have successfully overcome substance use disorder and regained sobriety. This means that you can successfully recover from drug addiction, too. 

In this post, you’ve learned some tips that can help. As advised, you should avoid tempting situations, find healthy ways to deal with stress and negative emotions, and eat well. You should consider health distractions and have a sober support network too. 

Recovery is an ongoing process, and you’ll experience challenges. If this happens, don’t be afraid to ask for help from people in your support group or professionals like therapists and counselors. The idea is to stay committed to recovery, no matter how challenging. This way, you can achieve and maintain long-term sobriety.