Incredible Mag

Beating Addiction Takes Time

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Before starting a project&comma; we have to be realistic about what we can and can’t expect from it&period; The cliché&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Rome wasn’t built in a day&comma;” may sound kind of corny&comma; but it’s a cliché because there’s some truth to it&period; The bigger the goal&comma; the more time it will take to reach&period; That’s true if you’re building a new house from scratch&period; It’s true if you’re trying to start a new diet and exercise regimen&period; And it’s especially true if you’re trying to break the cycle of addiction&period; It doesn’t matter if you’re addicted to drugs&comma; alcohol&comma; or even just something like junk food&period; Addiction is rarely instantaneous&semi; instead&comma; it often builds up over time&period; Because of that&comma; it only makes sense that it will also take time to tear the addiction down&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><b>Talk To Professionals<&sol;b><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Most of us wouldn’t attempt to run a marathon without any sort of fitness training first&period; In fact&comma; most of us wouldn’t even attempt to run a 5k without any training&comma; but there are many people who are convinced they can quit a substance cold turkey&period; Maybe they have a coworker who claimed they quit smoking and then never thought of cigarettes again&period; There’s a certain simplicity to quitting cold turkey that’s very appealing&comma; but it’s a simplicity that can also be deceiving&period; Let’s take smoking&comma; for instance&period; Research shows that&comma; at most&comma; 10 percent of smokers can quit without help&comma; and the numbers might be as low as 3 percent&period; That’s because smokers underestimate just how dependent they’ve become on nicotine&comma; which is both physically and psychologically addictive&period; Withdrawal symptoms can last for weeks or even months&comma; and in that time&comma; it’s common to feel irritable and depressed&period; You may also have trouble sleeping&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">And those are just the symptoms of what happens when you quit smoking&period; If you’re trying to&comma; for instance&comma; stop taking opioids because you fear you’re becoming overly-reliant on them&comma; then the symptoms can be even more severe&period; Symptoms of opioid withdrawal include things like diarrhea&comma; nausea and vomiting&comma; blurry vision&comma; and even abdominal cramping&period; Those symptoms usually start improving after 3 days&comma; but that can make for a really rough 72 hours&period; That’s one of many reasons why it’s a good idea to talk to a medical professional who can help you along the road to recovery&period; That help may include outpatient drug rehab&comma; group meetings&comma; talk therapy&comma; or something else&comma; but it’s always good to have someone else on your team&comma; especially if that someone has experience dealing with addiction issues&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><b>Be Patient Without Making Excuses<&sol;b><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">We live in a world that places a lot of value on immediate gratification&period; Twenty-five years ago&comma; if you wanted to know the name of the tallest man on earth&comma; you had to go to your local library and check the Guinness Book of World Records&comma; assuming that your library even carried the most up-to-date edition&period; Nowadays&comma; though&comma; a simple Internet search can give you the name of the tallest man ever in a matter of seconds&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">But addiction doesn’t have an easy answer&period; When you’re in the throes of it&comma; it feels like you’ll never be able to escape&period; You can feel doomed&comma; which can send you spiraling into depression&period; Speak to a mental health counselor about those feelings if possible&comma; but also spend time working towards other goals&period; For instance&comma; don’t put off going back to school until after you quit drinking&period; If the idea of going to a physical campus for classes several times a week seems too intimidating right now&comma; research accredited online degree programs that allow you to perform classwork at home or in a neighborhood coffee shop&period; Exercise can improve both your mental and physical health&comma; so consider joining a gym&period; You don’t have to post on social media that you’re quitting smoking&comma; but if you think that will help&comma; then go ahead&period; You might be surprised by the number of supportive comments you get from friends and family members&period; Remember that you’re not alone&period; Other people have beaten addiction&comma; and so can you&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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