According to doctors at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), most people taking drugs believe that they can stop anytime they want to. In fact, most addicts have great difficulty quitting drugs because of the changes in the brain that affect their thinking processes. There are a number of different options available to help addicts quit that utilize a variety of treatment methods. Researchers at the NIDA report that involvement in a treatment program increases the success of quitting.
Step 1
Admit that you cannot control your drug use by yourself. Once you decide that you need help, you are in a position to find appropriate treatment. To be effective, treatment must be approached with an open mind and a willingness to listen to others.
Step 2
Find a treatment program that best suits your needs through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Look for treatment that includes behavioral and cognitive therapy in addition to drug education and medical supervision. Consider the types of drugs to which you are addicted to find trained professionals with experience treating similar addictions. Long-term inpatient treatment lasting more than 30 days may be most appropriate if you've been using drugs for a number of years.
Step 3
Participate in individual and group counseling sessions to stay motivated. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that motivational techniques, such as hearing how others deal with their problems successfully, will increase your success at staying clean. Focus on other positive motivating reasons to stop using drugs, such as your family, job and health. Make a list of motivations and keep it handy.
Step 4
Utilize temporary medications prescribed by a doctor that can help relieve the withdrawal symptoms and sometimes reduce the cravings that accompany withdrawal. Use medications to treat co-occurring conditions that doctors in treatment may discover. Emotional illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder are common among drug addicts and, left untreated, can impede recovery.
Step 5
Encourage your family to attend family sessions at your treatment facility or to find their own counseling in order to learn better communication skills. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic report that family counseling can help families be more supportive to the addict when he returns home from treatment.
Tips and Warnings
- Join a 12-step recovery program such as Narcotics Anonymous to find support for continuing recovery from other former addicts .They can give you tips on how to cope with cravings and find new activities to fill your time.
- Follow the directions given to you once you are released from treatment to avoid relapse. NIDA doctors report that addiction is a chronic condition characterized by relapse. Resumed drug abuse is likely for many addicts and may require additional rounds of treatment as well as adjustments to the treatment programs.
