Easy Steps To A Clean Drug-Free Life By Julian Mitton, MD
If you’re fighting drug addiction, you know how hard it is to stay clean. It’s easy to get caught up in the lure of drugs, but if you want to overcome your addiction and continue living a happy, healthy life—without the temptation of drugs—then follow these steps:
Recognize Your Addiction
Recognizing your addiction is the first step to getting clean. Addiction is a disease that changes the way your brain works and makes it harder for you to control your urges and cravings.
You may have heard people say addiction is a choice, but this isn’t true. The truth is that no one chooses to be addicted; they simply don’t know how else to cope with their emotions or problems, says Julian Mitton, MD. You can’t choose not to feel pain or sadness, but by using drugs or alcohol as an escape from these feelings, it becomes easier for them (and other people) not only see what’s really happening inside of us but also help us find ways around those obstacles instead of giving up on our dreams just because we think there’s no other way out!
Take An Honest Look At Your Situation
The first step to getting clean is understanding the problem, which means taking an honest look at how much and for how long you’ve been using drugs, as well as what exactly is causing you to use them in the first place. These questions will help you determine whether or not getting clean is right for you:
• What’s the problem? Are there any negative consequences associated with your drug use? How long have they been occurring?
Face Your Fears And The Negative Consequences You’ve Been Telling Yourself About
Julian Mitton, MD ..Fear is a natural reaction to the unknown, but in order to get clean and stay clean, you have to face your fears. If you don’t, then all of those negative consequences will keep happening over and over again until eventually they become true. You have to be honest with yourself about how scared or anxious being drug-free makes you feel–and then do something productive with that feeling instead of letting it consume you or hold back progress on getting clean.