What Help Can I Get If I Feel That I Have An Addiction?

By James Handforth

What is addiction? Generally, people understand addiction to be "hooked on drugs", but it is much more than just that. Addiction can be caused by prescribed medicine, coffee, television, and even shopping. Do you feel that you are turning into an addict? Ask yourself if you can give up this addiction for a day, a week, a month, a year, or forever. If you cannot, then you are becoming addicted to "the thing".

Or to observe more closely, some warning signs of addiction are dramatic mood swings (for example shifting from extremely happy mood to sad, in a short time span), change in personal habits (for example a neat freak turns into a complete slob). Other changes include change in interests (for example loosing interest in long time hobbies), change of company, legal difficulties, missing time at work, becoming physically, or verbally abusive and social isolation.

Addiction can cause the victim to become weak enough that the addict does not have confidence of giving it up, which is not the case. Coming out of it can be raw pain, and it is a slow process, which requires time and patience, but when given up, one feels it is worth the pain. Another way of looking into it is to think from religious point of view, have faith in God, and the healing process will become easier.

Giving up addiction means you have to be concrete strong to relinquish your habit, it is about patience, not losing hope, and having a very strong will power.

Removing any link to addiction, which might remind one of it helps a lot in avoiding relapse. Do not think of your addiction, as a bad habit rather think of overcoming it as strength, and publicise it to get a positive feedback from people around you. Make a list of your weaknesses, and the points where you thought yourself to be weak.

Group discussion in these things help a lot, there are professional groups of drug addicts, alcoholics, shopaholics, gamblers, etc. to help you out with your bad habits. One can always depend upon family members, best friends, spouse to help give up the addiction.

People supporting you might not be addict of the same thing, but nonetheless family is pivotal support in giving up any kind of addiction, it also brings conviction in your decisions.

Prolonged addicts cannot come out of the cocoon they have built around themselves, so it might take time to feel the same as before as some of the sentiments get some time to come out of hibernation. When strong enough, one can deal with these emotions, which might seem new after such a long time. Long time addictions can also be resolved through acupuncture, a Chinese style of healing. New environment and new experiences will enable you to cope with a situation in a better manner, and thus letting you live a happy life.

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