Substance Abuse

In order to cope with stress, negative thoughts and feelings caused by difficult situations, it is tempting to use all sorts of substances leading us to feel happier or at least more relaxed. Substances can be alcohol, tobacco, hemp and all drugs that influence our brains reward system and, thus, our emotions. So far, that doesn’t sound too bad. However, there are three main problems with this way of dealing with negative emotions and thoughts:

The first problem is that all those substances have one thing in common, they are addictive, and not only do we want more of that substance once we started, but we also need higher amounts for the effect to be as strong as it was in the beginning. If, for instance, one beer was enough to make us relax in the first instance we will need two beers to feel the same amount of relaxation after getting more used to the effect. This results in a vicious circle of more and more substance consume, which leads to the second problem.

Consumed long-term or in too high quantities those drugs can cause severe damages to our body. As we get used to the effect of a regularly consumed substance it gets more and more difficult to stop the consumption. Why? Because we get physically addicted, which implies that we need a certain amount of a drug to not only feel better but also to actually feel normal. When at the beginning we felt normal without the drug and better with it, the addiction causes us to feel physically worse without the drug. We need a certain drug amount to reach the previous level of normality and, obviously, even more to feel better. In addition to this biological effect, drugs have a variety of different medical consequences, such as damages of brain and all sorts of organs.

The third problem is that, not only do drugs make us physically ill but also mentally. Two mechanisms contribute to that: Once really addicted, it is almost impossible to focus on anything else than the drug and its positive implications or, negatively framed, on avoiding falling back in the whole of negative feelings caused by the drug withdrawal and everyday life struggles. The other mechanism is that focusing on that drug as a coping mechanism for personal problems prevents us from developing positive and helpful coping mechanisms. Thus, not only does drug consumption prevent us from actually solving problems and difficulties of our everyday life, but it adds to it the negative physical and mental (as well as the financial) consequences of the addiction.

What to do

Withdrawing from a drug addiction is a tough and very disciplined but not at all impossible task. Here is what you can try:

  • Drug consumption is all about the positive feeling of reward. Drugs induce it quite strongly but to feel such positive feelings we don’t necessarily rely on them. Instead there is a huge range of natural triggers for happy or relieving feelings. Why not trying to go back to them as a source for relief, happiness and motivation?
    Apart from the drug, think of one or, if you want, a couple of little things you are looking forward to. Try to make those things your new drugs. Imagine them, focus on the agreeable feelings and implement those little happy things in your everyday life. As soon as the thought of the drug crosses your mind think of one of those happy things. Try to really delve into it.
  • Addictions are so strong that, even with a lot of discipline and good will, you will probably be tempted to fall back to your drug consumption habits. What might make it easier to resist then is having a very concrete plan about what exactly you will do once you feel tempted. In a first step, work out what situations especially trigger the drug craving. The more you expect them the more you will be able to resist the temptation. In a second step, work out what helps you resisting (e.g. the proposed coping mechanism above). Once you have a list of precise triggering situations and respective coping behaviours, make a plan for each situation. It works best when formulated in an “if… then…“-structure (e.g. “If I feel frustrated because I couldn’t sell anything for an hour I go to the shop next to mine and talk to the owner for a minute.”). The more precise it is the more effective it will be.
  • Dealing with a drug withdrawal is much easier with professional help. The links below will help you finding professional psychotherapists.

For more ideas on what you could do, see also the page  What can you generally do.

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