Getting to the detox stage when going through an addiction is applaudable. It’s a journey that is difficult though achievable.
Detoxing is a decision that needs to be made mindfully and intentionally, for it requires action. Here are six tips you may find helpful to detox successfully.
1. Seek Therapy
Therapy helps with successful detox because you don’t go through the process alone. You can be confident that a licensed therapist will guide you and give you the encouragement you need to go through the process of becoming drug-free. A therapist will uncover the traumas, toxic traits, and thoughts that result in you taking comfort in drugs, hence the addiction. Drugs can temporarily numb the emotions and the pain that comes with trauma dynamics, for example.
Tackling the underlying pain that leads to addiction is one major way of detoxing successfully. Without being mindful of the trauma and pain, you may be avoiding through drugs; you may find yourself back in the same position when triggered. If you need licensed therapists to help you through the process, consider going to this recommended site.
2. Avoid Triggers
Triggers are any place, person, or space which encourages you to resort to drugs. For example, if you realize that after spending time with certain people, you get stressed because of the conversations or expectations, that is a trigger. A place you frequented to have drugs, such as a park or a house, is a trigger.
Simply avoiding triggers is difficult but can be managed by finding positive replacements. For example, find positive community clubs such as running, dancing, or sewing instead of spending time with people who stress you out. As you do the activities, you may form friendships where you enjoy the conversations and the sharing of ideas, meaning you aren’t triggered to look for drugs.
If you used to frequent a certain park where you sit and take drugs, find a different park where you can learn new skills such as skating or rollerblading.
3. Eat Healthily
A healthy diet helps to keep afloat during the detox process. Liquids such as water and freshly squeezed juice help keep your body dehydrated and facilitate the process of flushing out the toxins introduced into the body by the drugs. Fruits and vegetables are anti-inflammatory foods that help your body recover from physical inflammation caused by drugs, such as clogged and stiff arteries.
By turning eating healthy into a lifestyle, you get to create activities you otherwise didn’t have when you weren’t mindful of the food you ate. For instance, instead of fast food, you can prepare home-cooked meals, a positive activity that helps to rewire your mind and helps you get through successful drug detox. You can experiment with different ingredients and recipes in the comfort of your home and learn about the health benefits of different foods. Such activities may immediately replace activities that trigger drug intake.
4. Keep A Journal
Keeping a journal is one way of successfully getting through the drug detox because you might resort to drugs because of painful emotions and thoughts you are seeking to repress. Journaling allows you to express your emotions and also to analyze them. For example, if you write about a traumatic incident that may have occurred and you keep having flashbacks about it, you can express your emotions as you allow the flashbacks in your mind.
You may find that once expressed on paper, you may feel less need to seek drugs to numb the pain. This is not to say that once you write about trauma, you no longer feel the pain. You may still feel the pain, but at that moment, you would have found a positive channel for the emotions, which is why professional guidance is recommended. A licensed therapist can use your journal to guide you through the detox process using their expertise.
5. Exercise
Exercising is recommended during the detox process, especially if it’s taking a toll on you physically. When some people detox, they can experience shakes, extreme hunger, or physical pain in different parts of the body due to drug absence which the body has become accustomed to.
Exercising helps flush out toxins in your body as you sweat and breathe. As you flush out the toxins, you also release feel-good hormones known as dopamine, which helps to subdue cravings. Sometimes cravings are an indication that you miss feeling good, and the positive effect of exercise is that the feel-good hormones aren’t a temporary high compared to drugs.
6. Shift In Social Circle
If you used to partake in drugs with your close friends, you might need to change your social circle; or minimize the time you spend together. Although they may be dear to you, hanging out with them as they partake in drugs may only deter you on your journey.
You can encourage and hope that they will join you on your detox journey. However, as you walk your path, you may have to do so without them at times, which is why professional guidance is important to help you through the difficult times of isolation and loneliness.
Conclusion
Some tips to help you successfully get through a drug detox include therapy, avoiding triggers, and exercising. You can also keep a journal which may help a therapist guide you through the process.
Eating healthy can be a replacing activity and lifestyle as well. Although it may be difficult, you may need to shift your social circle, so you don’t relapse.
