Detachment from Addiction
It is a fact that most of us tend to mildly/seriously get addicted to something in life, most addictions are harmless like playing video games, drinking coffee, tea, gambling, internet, sex, food, shopping etc. Simply put, addiction is a compulsive urge to do or have something. Normal urges are good for deriving happiness. But addiction of alcohol and drugs is highly dangerous to the development and wellbeing of an individual.
Though at a certain stage, individuals identify the life changing addictions that they have got into, hardly can they get back to normalcy due to the compulsive demands that the body and mind make of the substances they abuse. The negative effects of such addictions are too many. For example, psychosis, vices, dependency, loss of productive life are a few of them. Addiction toward alcohol and drugs have been the main reason behind the unproductivity of youth off late.
Reasons for Addiction
Addictive substances or activities release a certain substance called dopamine in the brain, in high quantities. The brain usually treats this as a reward. Once we experience this, the brain usually craves more of it, depending on the first time. When a person falls into this trap, this causes dependency on the substance, making the high and low the addict’s normal life. The addicts will start consuming them in higher and higher doses expecting to experience the overwhelming happiness and ecstasy that they had the first time.
But it turns out is impossible to have the same experience at the same doses given the fact that the mind and body get saturated with those doses and start to demand more. By the time an addict realises, the situation would have been out of hands and stopping or withdrawal can lead to painful repulsions, causing chills, sweats, fever, and in extreme cases strokes. This is because the brain’s reward system is totally messed up by now.
Disadvantages of Addiction
Addiction can lead to a poor lifestyle, psychosis, loss of assets, loss of loved ones, poor job performance leading to getting fired from a job. It can make you more prone to vehicular accidents, fights, and many unwanted events. Therefore, it is important to solve this problem as soon as possible:
How to detach oneself from an addiction:
- Detachment starts with the addict recognizing that he/she has a problem. Not many realize until they’ve gone too far, and few live thinking their new life is the best life. They hurt themselves and their loved ones.
- The addict can try to make an effort to overcome the situation, by slowly tapering off on his/her dosage and finally making it a zero. This way the detachment could be gradual and easy.
- Seeking help: Speak to your loved ones, or seek a professional help for severe cases. The addicts need all the help he/she can get and this can make their way to a good life easier. Contacting a rehabilitation centre may be the best thing to do in severe cases.
- The addicts have to believe in the process, and the outcome. Forgive themselves for falling into the trap and trust that they will be off to your best life soon.
- Meditation helps re-wire the brain structure thereby helping work towards letting go of compulsive cravings and negative thoughts. Embarking on meditation could prove to be the stepping stone to a faster recovery.
- Identifying one’s skillset and working towards sharpening the same or finding a purpose for one’s life, setting goals, pursuing hobbies are among the many activities that could distract an addict from his craving and keep him engaged with the good and productive stuff.
- Resorting to humour by entertaining people and laughing off at one’s own mistakes could ease of the tensions in mind and let connect with many people who love humour. More engagement with people means less time for other stuff.
Recovering from addiction can be a hard thing to do. But determination along with hard work can guarantee a good life ahead to the addicts and their loved ones. Seeking professional help from rehabs can muster up the recovery process. Rehabilitation centres can give specific treatment to individuals based on their conditions and their history, making the treatment process much more efficient.
Everyone deserves a good life and so do the addicts. We all know that the day we plant the seed is not the day we eat the fruit. Patience and determination coupled with self-love can take us to the destinations beautiful and healthy.
