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An addiction is something that’s unique to each and every person. There are many different types of addiction whether that’s a physically damaging addiction like alcohol or drug abuse or an addiction that rather impacts the mind primarily like social media consumption.

Tackling an addiction takes time. It’s nothing something that’s easy enough to overcome and many end up relapsing and falling back into old habits. With that being said, here’s everything you’d need to know about tackling an addiction that’s refusing to go.

Admit there’s a problem 

Firstly, it’s important to admit that there’s a problem that exists. A lot of addicts are naive in thinking that they don’t have a problem or that the problem is something that they could fix or control easily.

In reality, it’s very different. The problem might not be something the individual is aware of or that you yourself haven’t realized yet. Often enough, this is the first step to addiction, recognizing you have one in the first place. In order to tackle an addiction successfully, you need to be willing to admit there’s a problem and that takes a lot of vulnerability.

Not only that but it’s a responsibility that only the person addicted can take ownership of, rather than it be friends, family, or colleagues.

Be ready to tackle addiction

An addiction takes a lot of mental load and therefore, you need to be ready to tackle an addiction. If you’ve got a loved one who has an addiction, they need to be willing and ready to take on the responsibility and mental load that comes with tackling an addiction.

Addiction isn’t easy to overcome and therefore the individual must be in the right place of mind and time in their life to be able to face the hardships that are more than likely to come. You might find that the more ready the individual is, the higher the chance that they won’t relapse. When you’re determined, it’s often the case that more success can be found.

As mentioned, a lot of those addicted to something will find themselves potentially relapsing and this is especially so if the person’s heart and determination to quit isn’t truly in it.

Seek professional support

A great way to tackle an addiction that’s being stubborn is by getting professional support. While some might have the luxury to tackle addiction privately, there are others that will need to rely on the support of charities to get the help they need.

Seeking professional help is a great way to get support, especially if you’re not someone who can confide in close relations. Perhaps you haven’t got the relationships in life that can help tackle an addiction. For many, the addiction might not be something that they’re used to being around and so may not want to get too close to it for fear of danger, or heartbreak.

Having professional help might be just what you need in order to tackle the addiction and there are plenty of addiction resources available, including https://addictionsuk.com/ as an example.

Find the motivation or objectives to get inspired

What are the motivations or objectives that are worth setting in order to get inspired to kick a bad habit? Motivations can look different for everyone. For some, it’s the motivation to be able to live longer and for others, it might be specific family members or friends they want to live for. 

For example, for older individuals, the thought of not seeing their grandchildren grow up might be enough to stop the addiction in its tracks. Objectives or goals are a great way to help get motivated when you’re struggling to find the personal motivation to get rid of the addiction.

Of course, it’s not always as simple as finding motivation for your addiction or setting goals, but it might help someone find that strength they need internally to battle addiction head-on this year.

Identify your triggers

Triggers are something that encourage or cause you or the individual to slip into bad habits. An addiction often remains because the individual is still surrounding themselves with the people or situations where the addiction is exploited the most.

For example, those who are addicted to alcohol will likely find they’re slipping back into their habit of drinking by spending time in pubs and bars where alcohol is readily available. Removing yourself or an individual from these spaces will hopefully remove the triggers that keep this addiction in place.

Identifying triggers is important when it comes to an addiction because it is certainly a help to know what it is that makes you or a loved one, fall back into the situations that enable the habit or addiction to continue.

Surround yourself with the right people

Surrounding yourself with the right people is highly important, especially when in some cases, the triggers for an addiction are the individuals you consider to be close friends.

Even if those that trigger your addiction are family members, it’s important for your own mental health and wellbeing, to stay away from these individuals. You might not need to get rid of them entirely but you may need to step back from spending time with them for your own sake.

It’s not always the fault of others but there might be enablers within your family and friendship circles that aren’t helping your situation at all.

Accept the past and mistakes made

With any addiction, a person addicted to something will find that they’ve made some past errors and mistakes. It’s important not to spend too much time bogged down in the past. Instead, you should be looking to the future and the potential there is to remove this habit or addiction from your life completely.

For your own sake or that of the individual in question, accept the past, admit the mistakes made, and move on from it before it consumes everything in its path.

Tackling an addiction is something that’s personal to everyone. Hopefully, these tips are a step in the right direction to remove the addiction for good this time.