As we move through life, we may end up immersed in obligations and commitments that we must assume responsibly and seriously. These events can be a negative factor for the physical and mental health of a person who has difficulty dealing with the anxiety generated by certain specific situations. In these cases, if you do not have the necessary resources to combat this problem, you may resort to harmful actions that can put your life at risk, such as the consumption of toxic substances. Although proposals have been developed to avoid relapses, the truth is that they are still in force today.
Carrying out an action plan is not an easy task, since it requires a high degree of will, but there are some methods that can help keep distance from substances that are harmful to physical and mental health. In this Psychology-Online article we will explain how to stop the urge to use drugs.
Perform psychological therapy
First of all, it is necessary organize and identify the ideas that drive consumption drugs. In general terms, the need for acceptance and the unpleasant experiences that a person has had throughout their life play a crucial role when it comes to understanding the relationship with toxic substances.
Psychological treatments provide tools to cope with situations of stress and/or anxiety in a more pleasant way. Likewise, these therapies also emphasize strengths and weaknesses to achieve greater self-knowledge.
Doing physical activity
Physical exercise has various implications for the human organism. In this sense, when a person performs physical activity, produces a relaxation of the central nervous system because there is fruitful communication between neurotransmitters.
On the other hand, the release of hormones such as serotonin and are linked to the emotions of pleasure. and happiness, which can help reduce the need to resort to drug use to obtain these types of sensations.
Find a healthy social environment
The people who make up social groups have a marked influence on the life of a human being. In this sense, it is possible that our actions, thoughts and emotions due to belonging to certain environments.
In these cases, the creating a healthy social environment Prioritizing life before pain is a key element to combat the anxiety that can be generated by drug use. Therefore, contact with family and friends who send messages of support is essential to calm the desire to consume.
Stay busy
Many people who start using drugs are immersed in loneliness and uncertainty about life. This may in part be caused by the lack of a stable work or student occupation that organizes the times and places that the person travels.
Consequently, it is pertinent maintain an occupation according to personal tastes durable and/or stable to channel anxiety in a healthier way.
Go to support groups
Generally, people who have used drugs for a long period of time tend to share their experiences to obtain lessons about it and avoid relapses. Likewise, going to support groups represents a good tool to eliminate the desire to use drugs.
Therefore, make contact with other people who went through difficult situations It usually relieves and helps combat anxiety.
Perform mindfulness
He mindfulness It is a practice that has positive effects on the body and mind of someone who seeks to use drugs. In short, it consists of making a prolonged diaphragmatic breathing that decreases the heart rate and makes the invasive thoughts of the present less consistent.
When these goals are achieved, anxiety tends to decrease considerably and a state of tranquility is generated. In this article you will find.
Modification of habits and routines
We must understand that drugs can be elements that generate distraction about situations from the past that cause discomfort and/or anguish. Therefore, one of the ways to process anxiety due to the consumption of toxic substances is modify the habits and routines of our daily lives.
By establishing changes in different situations in our lives, the mind will usually modify the perspective on the actions that have been committed. As a result, this will provide relief from anxiety to the person.
Put feelings into words
Anxiety is not only felt in the body, since it can also be verbalized when accompanied by ideas. When a person has a high level of anxiety that causes them to want to use drugs, it is necessary to understand the triggers for this idea.
To achieve a greater understanding of the situation, one of the options is put feelings into words orally or in writing. This allows you to distance yourself from the problem and adopt a different position regarding what is happening.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (2001). Preventing drugs: paradigms, concepts and intervention criteria. Santiagos de Chile: United Nations.
- Barrena Arana, J. (2018). Proposal for intervention to prevent drug use among institutionalized minors. Public University of Navarra.