New Year’s Eve is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate with family and friends, and prepare for a healthy, happy, productive new year. For those who are battling drug addiction, it can also be a time to face the challenges of drug rehabilitation and move forward into a drug-free year and future.
The Causes and Effects of Drug Use
Preventing or resolving drug use begins with understanding the various causes and effects of an individual’s drug use. Most individuals begin to use drugs because of a problem in their life. Perhaps they had an accident or surgery and are in physical pain for which they take drugs. Perhaps family upsets have them depressed, anxious or feeling overwhelmed, and drug use helps to block that out. Perhaps they are experiencing financial strain or stress and drugs allow them a temporary escape. Perhaps they have lost their job and are blocking out the hopelessness, shame or embarrassment with drugs.
Whatever the reason behind an individual’s initial drug use, their continued use of drugs can affect them physically, mentally and emotionally. They often experience a dulling of physical and emotional sensations and a reduced interest in life and relationships with others. Eventually, an individual’s drug use can dominate and dictate their every action in life, leaving them a slave to drugs and unable to even conceive of a drug-free life.
How to Have a Drug-Free New Year
Narconon Arrowhead, a holistic, residential rehabilitation facility located in southern Oklahoma, is sharing some tips for a drug-free new year.
1. Learn how to confront and resolve problems in life.
Since most drug use traces back to a problem in one’s life, it is important to learn how to address and resolve life problems without drugs. Finding individuals who can support you through difficult times, and learning about solutions through various books or informative internet articles can help one see how they are not alone in facing these problems and they can, in fact, handle them without drugs.
2. Participate in a healthy lifestyle.
Many drug addicts do not lead healthy lifestyles. They rarely participate in healthful exercise or recreational activities and usually fail to maintain a healthy diet. However, a healthy lifestyle can often assist an individual in dealing with the problems of their life without succumbing to drug use. Imagine having a difficult day at work, and then going for a nice, long run along the beach. You can see how such activities may help one to disconnect from the problem and rise above it, becoming more able to effectively resolve it. Healthy exercise and diets help an individual maintain a comfortable, optimally-functioning body and immune system.
3. Avoid relationships or activities that involve drugs.
Relationships or activities that condone or make drug use seem harmless can cause one to adopt a similar view, and can lead to drug abuse and addiction. One would do better to surround himself with individuals that participate in sober activities.
4. Find ways to combat pain without drugs.
Prescription painkillers do carry a risk of dependence, and can lead to abuse. Drug-free ways of reducing or eliminating pain like exercise, yoga, massage and natural supplements can help ensure that one is not carried into the spiral of drug abuse and addiction from the use of prescription painkillers.
5. Get help if you feel that you are beginning to have a problem with drug abuse.
Fighting addiction can often be a joint effort with others, and there is no shame in needing help to fight an addiction. The longer an addiction persists, the harder it can be to fight, so it is important to get help quickly.
The inertia behind a drug-free, happy, healthy year can be slow going at first, but it can eventually pick up speed and become easy to maintain. When it comes to having a happy, healthy, productive life, it begins with the choices one makes now.
If you or someone you know has problems with drug or alcohol abuse and need help, contact Narconon Arrowhead at 800-468-6933.