Quit drug addiction
Overcoming Drug Addiction - HelpGuide.org
The first step to overcoming drug abuse and addiction
Developing an addiction to drugs isn’t a character flaw or a sign of weakness, and it takes more than willpower to overcome the problem. Abusing illegal or certain prescription drugs can create changes in the brain, causing powerful cravings and a compulsion to use that makes sobriety seem like an impossible goal. But recovery is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless your situation seems or how many times you’ve tried and failed before. With the right treatment and support, change is always possible.
For many people struggling with addiction, the toughest step toward recovery is the very first one: recognizing that you have a problem and deciding to make a change. It’s normal to feel uncertain about whether you’re ready to start recovery, or if you have what it takes to quit. If you’re addicted to a prescription drug, you may be concerned about how you’re going to find an alternate way to treat a medical condition.
It’s okay to feel torn. Committing to sobriety involves changing many things, including:
- The way you deal with stress.
- Who you allow in your life.
- What you do in your free time.
- How you think about yourself.
- The prescription and over-the-counter medications you take.
It's also normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you know it's causing problems in your life. Recovery requires time, motivation, and support, but by making a commitment to change, you can overcome your addiction and regain control of your life.
Think about change
- Keep track of your drug use, including when and how much you use. This will give you a better sense of the role the addiction is playing in your life.
- List the pros and cons of quitting, as well as the costs and benefits of continuing your drug use.
- Consider the things that are important to you, such as your partner, your kids, your pets, your career, or your health.
How does your drug use affect those things? - Ask someone you trust about their feelings on your drug use.
- Ask yourself if there's anything preventing you from changing. What could help you make the change?
Preparing for change: 5 keys to addiction recovery
- Remind yourself of the reasons you want to change.
- Think about your past attempts at recovery, if any. What worked? What didn't?
- Set specific, measurable goals, such as a start date or limits on your drug use.
- Remove reminders of your addiction from your home, workplace, and other places you frequent.
- Tell friends and family that you're committing to recovery, and ask for their support.
Explore your addiction treatment options
Once you've committed to recovery, it's time to explore your treatment choices. While addiction treatment can vary according to the specific drug, a successful program often includes different elements, such as:
Detoxification.
Usually the first step is to purge your body of drugs and manage withdrawal symptoms.
Behavioral counseling. Individual, group, and/or family therapy can help you identify the root causes of your drug use, repair your relationships, and learn healthier coping skills.
Medication may be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapse, or treat any co-occurring mental health condition such as depression or anxiety.
Long-term follow-up can help to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety. This may include attending regular in-person support groups or online meetings to help keep your recovery on track.
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Types of drug treatment programs
- Residential treatment – Residential treatment involves living at a facility and getting away from work, school, family, friends, and addiction triggers while undergoing intensive treatment. Residential treatment can last from a few days to several months.
- Day treatment/Partial hospitalization – Partial hospitalization is for people who require ongoing medical monitoring but wish to still live at home and have a stable living environment. These treatment programs usually meet at a treatment center for 7 to 8 hours during the day, then you return home at night.
- Outpatient treatment – Not a live-in treatment program, these outpatient programs can be scheduled around work or school. You're treated during the day or evening but don't stay overnight. The major focus is relapse prevention.
- Sober living communities – Living in a sober house normally follows an intensive treatment program such as residential treatment.
You live with other recovering addicts in a safe, supportive, and drug-free environment. Sober living facilities are useful if you have nowhere to go or you're worried that returning home too soon will lead to relapse.
Tips for finding the best drug addiction treatment for you
Remember that no treatment works for everyone. Everyone's needs are different. Whether you have a problem with illegal or prescription drugs, addiction treatment should be customized to your unique situation. It's important that you find a program that feels right.
Treatment should address more than just your drug abuse. Addiction affects your whole life, including your relationships, career, health, and psychological well-being. Treatment success depends on developing a new way of living and addressing the reasons why you turned to drugs in the first place. For example, your drug dependency may have developed from a desire to manage pain or to cope with stress, in which case you'll need to find a healthier way to relieve pain or to handle stressful situations.
Commitment and follow-through are key. Drug addiction treatment is not a quick and easy process. In general, the longer and more intense the drug use, the longer and more intense the treatment you'll need. And in all cases, long-term follow-up care is crucial to recovery.
There are many places to turn for help. Not everybody requires medically supervised detox or an extended stint in rehab. The care you need depends on a variety of factors, including your age, drug-use history, medical or psychiatric conditions. In addition to doctors and psychologists, many clergy members, social workers, and counselors offer addiction treatment services.
Seek treatment for any mental health problems simultaneously. As you seek help for drug addiction, it’s also important to get treatment for any other medical or psychological issues you’re experiencing. Your best chance of recovery is by getting combined mental health and addiction treatment from the same treatment provider or team.
Find support for your addiction recovery
Don't try to go it alone—reach out for support. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having positive influences and a solid support system is essential. The more people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, the better your chances for recovery.
Lean on close friends and family. Having the support of friends and family members is an invaluable asset in recovery. If you're reluctant to turn to your loved ones because you've let them down before, consider going to relationship counseling or family therapy.
Build a sober social network. If your previous social life revolved around drugs, you may need to make some new connections. It's important to have sober friends who will support your recovery. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community.
Consider moving into a sober living home.
Sober living homes provide a safe, supportive place to live while you're recovering from drug addiction. They are a good option if you don't have a stable home or a drug-free living environment.
Make meetings a priority. Join a 12-step recovery support group, such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and attend meetings regularly. Spending time with people who understand exactly what you're going through can be very healing. You can also benefit from the shared experiences of the group members and learn what others have done to stay sober.
[Read: Support Groups: Types, Benefits, and What to Expect]
Learn healthy ways to cope with stress
After addressing your immediate problems with addiction and starting treatment, you'll still have to face the problems that led to your drug abuse. Did you start using to numb painful emotions, calm yourself after an argument, unwind after a bad day, or forget about your problems?
Once you're sober, the negative feelings that you dampened with drugs will resurface.
For treatment to be successful, you'll first need to resolve your underlying issues.
Once you have resolved your underlying issues, you will, at times, continue to experience stress, loneliness, frustration, anger, shame, anxiety, and hopelessness. These emotions are all a normal part of life. Finding ways to address these feelings as they arise is an essential component to your treatment and recovery.
There are healthier ways to keep your stress level in check. You can learn to manage your problems without falling back on your addiction. When you're confident in your ability to quickly de-stress, facing strong feelings isn't as intimidating or overwhelming.
Quickly relieve stress without drugs
Different quick stress relief strategies work better for some people than others. The key is to find the one that works best for you.
Movement. A brisk walk around the block can be enough to relieve stress. Yoga and meditation are also excellent ways to bust stress and find balance.
Step outside and savor the warm sun and fresh air. Enjoy a beautiful view or landscape.
Play with your dog or cat. Enjoy the relaxing touch of your pet's fur.
Experiment with your sense of smell. Breathe in the scent of fresh flowers or coffee beans, or savor a scent that reminds you of a favorite vacation, such as sunscreen or a seashell.
Close your eyes and picture a peaceful place. Think of a sandy beach, or a fond memory, such as your child's first steps or time spent with friends.
Pamper yourself. Make yourself a steaming cup of tea, give yourself a neck or shoulder massage. Soak in a hot bath or shower.
Keep drug triggers and cravings in check
Your recovery doesn't end at getting sober. Your brain still needs time to recover and rebuild connections that changed while you were addicted. During this rebuild, drug cravings can be intense.
You can support your continued recovery by avoiding people, places, and situations that trigger your urge to use:
Step away from your friends who use. Don't hang out with friends who are still doing drugs. Surround yourself with people who support your sobriety, not those who tempt you to slip back into old, destructive habits.
Avoid bars and clubs. Even if you don't have a problem with alcohol, drinking lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment, which can easily lead to a relapse. Drugs are often readily available and the temptation to use can be overpowering. Also avoid any other environments and situations that you associate with drug use.
Be upfront about your history of drug use when seeking medical treatment. If you need a medical or dental procedure done, be upfront and find a provider who will work with you in either prescribing alternatives or the absolute minimum medication necessary. You should never feel ashamed or humiliated about previous drug use or be denied medication for pain; if that happens, find another provider.
Use caution with prescription drugs. If you were addicted to a prescription drug, such as an opioid painkiller, you may need to talk to your doctor about finding alternate ways to manage pain. Regardless of the drug you experienced problems with, it's important to stay away from prescription drugs with the potential for abuse or use only when necessary and with extreme caution. Drugs with a high abuse potential include painkillers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medication.
Coping with drug cravings
Sometimes craving cannot be avoided, and it is necessary to find a way to cope:
Get involved in a distracting activity. Read, see friends, go to a movie, immerse yourself in a hobby, hike, or exercise. Once you're interested in something else, you'll find the urges go away.
Talk it through. Talk to friends or family members about craving when it occurs. Talking can be very helpful in pinpointing the source of the craving.
Also, talking about craving often helps to discharge and relieve the feeling and will help restore honesty in your relationship. Craving is nothing to feel bad about.
Challenge and change your thoughts. When experiencing a craving, many people have a tendency to remember only the positive effects of the drug and forget the negative consequences. Therefore, you may find it helpful to remind yourself that you really won't feel better if you use and that you stand to lose a lot. Sometimes it is helpful to have these consequences listed on a small card that you keep with you.
Urge surf. Many people try to cope with their urges by toughing it out. But some cravings are too strong to ignore. When this happens, it can be useful to stay with the urge until it passes. This technique is called urge surfing. Imagine yourself as a surfer who will ride the wave of your drug craving, staying on top of it until it crests, breaks, and turns into less powerful, foamy surf.
When you ride out the craving, without trying to battle, judge, or ignore it, you'll see that it passes more quickly than you'd think.
The three basic steps of urge surfing:
- Notice how you’re experience the craving. Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in a relaxed position. Take a few deep breaths and focus your attention on your body. Notice where in your body you experience the craving or urge and what the sensations feel like. Verbalize what you’re experiencing. For example, you could tell yourself: “My craving is in my mouth and nose and in my stomach.”
- Focus on one area where you’re experiencing the craving. What are the sensations in that area? Describe them to yourself. For example, perhaps you feel hot, cold, tingly, or numb? Maybe your muscles are tense? How large an area is involved? Notice if the sensations change as you focus on them. “My mouth feels dry. There is a numbness in my lips.
When I swallow, I can imagine the feeling of using.” - Repeat by focusing on each part of your body that experiences the urge. Describe to yourself how the sensations change, how the urge comes and goes. Many people notice that after a few minutes of urge surfing, their craving has disappeared. The purpose of this exercise, however, is not to make the urge go away but to experience it in a new way. If you regularly practice urge surfing, you’ll become more familiar with your cravings and find it easier to ride them out until they go away naturally.
Build a meaningful drug-free life
You can support your drug treatment and protect yourself from relapse by having activities and interests that provide meaning to your life. It's important to be involved in things that you enjoy, that make you feel needed, and add meaning to your life. When your life is filled with rewarding activities and a sense of purpose, your addiction will lose its appeal.
Pick up an old hobby or try a new one. Do things that challenge your creativity and spark your imagination—something you've always wanted to try. Learn a musical instrument, a foreign language, or try a new sport.
Adopt a pet. Yes, pets are a responsibility, but caring for an animal makes you feel loved and needed. Pets can also get you out of the house for exercise.
Spend time in nature. Take a scenic hike, go fishing or camping, or enjoy regular walks in a park.
Enjoy the arts. Visit a museum, go to a concert or a play, take an art class or write a memoir.
Get involved in your community. Replace your addiction with drug-free groups and activities. Volunteer, become active in your church or faith community, or join a local club or neighborhood group.
Set meaningful goals. Having goals to work toward and something to look forward to can be powerful antidotes to drug addiction.
It doesn't matter what the goals are, just that they are important to you.
Look after your health. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits help you keep your energy levels up and your stress levels down. The more you can stay healthy and feel good, the easier it will be to stay sober.
Don't let relapse keep you down
Relapse is a common part of the recovery process from drug addiction. While relapse is frustrating and discouraging, it can be an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, identify additional triggers, and correct your treatment course.
What causes relapse?
Different “triggers” can put you at risk of relapsing into old patterns of substance use. While specific causes of relapse differ from person to person, some common triggers include:
- Negative emotional state (such as stress, sadness, anger, or trauma)
- Positive emotional state (feeling happy and wanting to feel even better, such as having a good time with friends)
- Physical discomfort (such as pain or withdrawal symptoms)
- Trying to test your personal control (“I can use just once” or “have just one pill”)
- Strong temptation or urge (craving to use)
- Conflict (such as an argument with your spouse or partner)
- Social pressure (being in a situation where it seems everyone else is using)
The important thing to remember is that relapse doesn't mean drug treatment failure.
Don't give up. Call your sponsor, talk to your therapist, go to a meeting, or schedule an appointment with your doctor. When you're sober again and out of danger, look at what triggered the relapse, what went wrong, and what you could have done differently. You can choose to get back on the path to recovery and use the experience to strengthen your commitment.
Professional help for drug treatment and recovery
- In the U.S.
Use the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator , call the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-4357, Get One-on-One Help to Address Your Child’s Substance Use, or call the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids helpline at 1-855-378-4373.
- UK
Find NHS drug addictions support services or call the Frank helpline at 0800 776600.
- Canada
Finding Quality Addiction Care (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction)
- Australia
Find drug and alcohol services in your State/Territory (Department of Health & Aging).
Last updated or reviewed on March 1, 2023
SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA
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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.
The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.
In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information.
We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.
No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.
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Suggested Resources
What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families
Created for family members of people with alcohol abuse or drug abuse problems. Answers questions about substance abuse, its symptoms, different types of treatment, and recovery. Addresses concerns of children of parents with substance use/abuse problems.It's Not Your Fault (NACoA) (PDF | 12 KB)
Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone.
Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.After an Attempt: A Guide for Taking Care of Your Family Member After Treatment in the Emergency Department
Aids family members in coping with the aftermath of a relative's suicide attempt. Describes the emergency department treatment process, lists questions to ask about follow-up treatment, and describes how to reduce risk and ensure safety at home.Family Therapy Can Help: For People in Recovery From Mental Illness or Addiction
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Last Updated: 08/30/2022
8 Steps to a Normal Life
How to Quit Drugs: 8 Steps to a Normal LifeArticles
January 26, 2019 at 21:09
Drug addiction is a serious illness, and if you are told that they know an effective way to quit quickly and easily, then do not believe it.
Treatment and rehabilitation are taking place with serious difficulties: the body, weakened by the intake of illegal drugs, loses its reserves of useful substances and vitamins.
The reserves of vitamin B1, which is responsible for mood and stress resistance, the qualities necessary for a further sober life, are especially strongly reduced.
Without the ability to see the positive and the "bright future" a person will quickly return to his old habits.
Therefore, if you do not know how to quit drugs, but want to do it, then be prepared for a difficult and long journey, the reward for which will be health and life.
Consequences of drug use
If drugs are not stopped in time, then irreparable harm is done to health:
- Depression causes inconsistency with reality and narcotic sleep. The addict wants to return to the world of dreams, but he cannot and feels depressed, which affects the functioning of organs and systems.
- Convulsions are a manifestation of withdrawal during the period of abstinence from the drug. Accompanied by violations of the internal organs.
- Inflammation of the veins followed by infection of the blood. From a non-sterile needle, harmful bacteria enter the circulatory system, deposited on the heart valve.
- Hepatitis is a dangerous liver disease caused by a virus. Infected drug addicts, through dirty syringes, spread the disease.
Additionally, the psychological state is aggravated. Phobias and obsessions appear that can cause suicide.
Causes of addiction
Mind-altering drugs are started in 60% of cases as a way to escape from problems.
But the shortening of narcotic daydreams and the habituation effect stimulate the addict to search for new substances.
There is a smooth transition from soft drugs to harder and life-threatening drugs, which only a few managed to quit on their own.
In some cases, substance use is started at the company.
Someone brings cannabis cigarettes and invites others to relax.
And even if among those present there is a hopeful person who wants to refuse, then under the pressure of acquaintances he will take a few puffs, because "it is an easy and safe drug that is not addictive."
This is not true. Studies show that 70-80% of addicts who use heroin and other hard drugs started in this way.
The longer the process takes, the harder it is to quit. Breaking a habit on your own is almost impossible, so if your acquaintance, friend or family member has become a drug addict, start acting.
How to help a loved one "tie up"
Drug addiction is a problem not only of the addict, but also of his environment, relatives and family.
It is often impossible to quit drugs because of personal problems, lack of support from loved ones, refusal to accept one's illness as an existing fact.
Therefore, before starting rehabilitation, it is necessary to realize that you are not an outcast from society, but a person who needs outside help.
Many people can stop taking drugs on their own, but in most cases the effect is temporary, because after a while the person starts taking drugs again.
Arouse the desire to refuse
Addiction treatment begins with acceptance of the illness. The addict must understand that he is sick. This is a prerequisite, without which further actions do not make sense.
If the addict does not believe or does not accept his destructive passion, then psychological help, the efforts of loved ones or contacting a drug treatment center will not work.
The addict will simply not identify with other participants in rehabilitation programs and will continue to take drugs.
With a voluntary decision to quit, the probability of a successful outcome will double.
The result in such a situation can be represented as a meeting point of two cars moving towards each other.
If only one is driving, then the elapsed time increases, but when both cars are moving, the meeting point is approaching at twice the speed.
Find out the cause
Every drug addict has his own story. Among the sick, many had a family, job, position in society, growth prospects and plans in the past.
At some point in life, an event or chain of events occurred that turned a healthy member of society into a dangerous and unpredictable person.
If you can find out what the patient was trying to find in drugs, what problems he hoped to solve by taking drugs, then you can determine the cause of the addiction. And this is a big step forward.
Do not press on guilt
If you are trying to help a person quit, you are involved in the process. This is your problem too.
Don't try to completely shift the blame to the addict, because at the very beginning of the "path down", when the disease could be overcome with minimal effort, by providing support, you did not recognize the trouble or refused to act.
Show that you care about the situation, try to gently direct the conversation in the right direction, but do not push, otherwise the patient will withdraw into himself, and this will aggravate the psychological problem.
If you are stimulated to talk about the problems, the causes of addiction, then your loved one will be comfortable, he will be able to open up deeper.
Do not force, but help
A common cause of drug addiction is incomprehensibility and lack of support in undertakings.
In such conditions, even the most persistent person begins to feel insecure and unwilling to do business, develop and move forward.
Psychological loneliness develops into an inferiority complex and becomes the reason for escaping from reality.
When helping to quit drugs, make it clear that you will be there for the entire journey.
The feeling that there is a close person nearby who will not let you back down, lend a shoulder at a difficult moment and go all the way to recovery motivates you not to leave the struggle you have begun.
How to "tie" yourself
Unlike smoking, drinking or gambling, quitting drugs without help is nearly impossible.
The patient is faced with various difficulties, which are very difficult to overcome on their own. Experts recommend following a number of tips:
- Make recovery your goal. Only by adhering to the intended path can the result be achieved.
- Recognize illness. Do not try to be like everyone else, because you are different from the majority.
- Use the one day rule. Live for today and stop taking drugs for the day. It can be endured. Repeat tomorrow.
- Find a support group. Former drug addicts, relatives, friends and other people who wish you recovery will become a reliable support, support and difficult moments.
- Change your social circle. Break off contact with other addicts who are reluctant to quit. They pull you back, create temptation.
- Don't shut yourself off from the world. Narcotics Anonymous groups in your city will help you find like-minded people, expand your circle of friends, strengthen social skills, and give interest to life.
- Follow the rules. Develop an acceptable set of exercises and do them daily, do cleaning, cooking, socializing, find a hobby. Daily performing "rituals", you will understand that you can do without drugs.
- Embrace the bright side of life. Do not limit yourself, be interested, gain new knowledge, develop skills. Personal growth will help to give up doping.
At the beginning of the path it will be difficult, but if you do not quit and trust your loved ones, you will be able to achieve your plans.
What difficulties await if you yourself stop using illegal substances
Addicts who decide to quit face two problems: withdrawal and habit.
Regular use of drugs leads to the formation of deposits of harmful substances in the body.
With constant feeding with a new dose, sensitivity decreases, and there are no problems in the functioning of internal organs, interruptions in the heart, clogged vessels and other difficulties.
In the absence of doping comes pain and obsessions.
A drug addict, wanting to get rid of unpleasant sensations, seeks to get a new dose.
A single thought forms in the mind: drug = relief.
This moment is the most dangerous, without outside support, some go crazy or commit suicide because they are unable to withstand the withdrawal period.
How not to return to bad habits at home
Even if your willpower is strong enough to withstand a drug hangover, the main danger lurks at the finish line.
Stall. After a certain period of sobriety, a person experiences difficulties, gets tired or loses self-control and decides to use a soft drug or a reduced dose.
It's a road to nowhere. If this happens, it will be more difficult to return, because relapses are harder for the addict, and the withdrawal period is aggravated by a weakened body.
Therefore, group therapy and professional supervision are important. Under such conditions, it will be possible to quickly determine the nascent desire to return to the invented world and stop the dangerous impulse.
The clinic will help you stop using illegal substances
In a number of cases it is impossible or dangerous for health to get rid of addiction on your own. The drug treatment center is the best solution for such situations. Turning to the clinic, you will receive a number of advantages:
- Qualified staff who have already encountered your problem and know how to solve it.
- The use of safe preparations will make it possible to facilitate the period of detoxification of the body as much as possible.
- Experienced psychologists will be able to identify the root of the disease, help you find motivation and keep the desire to recover.
- Medical secrecy guarantees the right to remain anonymous when undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
- The use of effective methods can reduce the time spent in the center and speed up the return to normal life.
- Group and individual programs for the development of social skills, the emergence of interest in a sober existence.
If you want to quit drugs, contact professionals who will increase your chances of a successful recovery.
Diagnosis and development of an individual treatment program
During the initial examination of the patient, the doctor determines the psychophysical state, the type of drugs that the drug addict took.
This information is needed when choosing a further treatment that suits a particular person.
An individual program is distinguished by increased efficiency, because it is selected on the basis of a specific situation, taking into account the personal characteristics of the body.
Additionally, during the examination, allergic reactions and the presence of drug intolerance are determined. A precautionary measure will protect the health of the patient, use harmless medicines.
Cleansing the body
To begin treatment that will bear fruit, you need to rid the body of deposits of drugs and residues of the components that make up the composition.
Deposits in tissues and internal organs poison the body, block the production of useful substances, enter into chemical reactions, producing toxins.
Detoxification of the body is a mandatory process that will help remove poison, reduce harm to health, and stop deterioration.
Additionally, when cleaning, the strength of the withdrawal syndrome is reduced.
Some drugs include components that replace metabolic elements.
When they are neutralized, the body begins to experience a false shortage, resulting in psychosomatic disorders.
Medicines break down dangerous substances, exclude them from the chemical reactions of internal organs and tissues, and reduce periods of drug hangover.
Professional Support
Psychologists, addictologists and narcologists who work in the rehabilitation center are qualified specialists with many years of experience.
In the course of their work, doctors have encountered drug addicts who take various substances, and they know which methods will work in your case.
This will speed up the recovery process, improve the patient's condition, reduce discomfort and increase the chances of quitting drugs permanently.
An additional advantage of experience and professionalism is readiness for non-standard situations.
Each person differs in individual features of an organism and reaction to certain situations.
In the event of an unforeseen development of circumstances, the specialist will make the right decision and help quickly correct the situation.
Group therapy and socialization
While in the clinic, patients, in addition to individual programs, undergo group therapy sessions.
In a society of people with similar problems, the addict who wants to quit feels supported, stress is reduced and hidden emotions are revealed.
It is easier for an addict to uncover the causes of addiction, to see the essence of the problem and to strengthen the decision to get rid of a dangerous habit.
Groups develop social skills that are lost during illicit drug use.
Previous life is divided into dose search period and intake.
Drug addicts cease to communicate, to feel like people, because in their minds there is only a desire to inject the drug and be carried away into an imaginary world.
Communication helps to restore identity, strengthens friendships, creates anchors that keep the addict from returning to drugs.
Get rid of addiction forever
It will take a long and hard road to quit drugs forever.
Thanks to professional support during treatment, damage to health is reduced, and the body will quickly restore lost reserves, replenish the reserves of useful elements and vitamins, and improve metabolism.
During the rehabilitation period, social skills will improve, there will be a motivation to reach the goal and a desire to live without trying to escape into a fictional world.
If you notice a drastic change in the behavior of a loved one or you yourself have realized the problem and want to "quit", but do not know how to quit drugs, then contact a specialist.
Narcological clinic is a real chance for rehabilitation. And maybe there won't be another chance.
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( 40 votes, average: 3.7 out of 5) Contents My name is Roma, I am a drug addict. I have had a lot of pain in my life since childhood. My father was an alcoholic, as a child I often heard screams, a drunken father knocking on the door, parents' scandals. Our family was poor, we lived in a communal apartment, my mother worked, I went to school. Sometimes there they asked something about my parents, for example, what kind of work they do, I had to lie, because at home they told me not to tell anyone about my father's alcoholism. When it was necessary to come to school, the father could not do it. I was ashamed of my father. I hid the truth about my family from friends and classmates, came up with explanations, stories - it was constant tension, dishonesty, alienated me from other children. From early childhood, I lacked love. Even then I felt that I was somehow different. Other children have sober parents who spend time with them, they have cool gifts for the holidays, a fun life, they are well dressed - I thought that my life was the worst, I felt abandoned, abandoned. There was no self-confidence, I was afraid of every problem. When I got older, I didn’t understand how to communicate with girls, I felt uncomfortable. When I tried alcohol, it helped me to forget my fears, communicate easily and feel good. But another problem arose: I could not stop. From the very beginning and constantly I got so drunk that they brought me home. It was disturbing: I did not want to become like my father at all. And when one of my older friends offered to smoke weed, I gladly agreed. It was better than drinking, because no matter how much I smoked, I never reached such a state as from alcohol. I began to try different drugs. At first he took pharmaceutical preparations, sniffed glue and gasoline, then tried psychostimulants. Familiar guys treated me, but said that they had too little to smell for everyone, it would only be enough if they were used intravenously. I immediately agreed. And I will remember this visit for the rest of my life. These substances gave me what I wanted: self-confidence, euphoria, the ability to communicate with people, work - it seemed that using them would help me cope with all the problems. Two years later, I realized that I use any drugs and I can't stop. It scared me. I wanted to quit and began to think how to do it. I switched from one drug to another, tried to switch to alcohol, but still did not find ways to quit. The problems were getting bigger, the pain from what I had done while using was getting stronger - the drugs no longer helped to forget about it. Friends could get high and have fun, and I felt despair. Health problems, with the psyche began. Thoughts of suicide came, but I was afraid to realize them. I wanted to stop injecting, but I didn't know how. Life seemed unbearable without drugs. And that was the moment when I knew for sure that I wanted to quit drugs. The idea came to me that I need to get someone to help me to quit somehow, because I can't cope on my own. I went to a narcologist, he offered me hospitalization. I was already in the narcological hospital, it did not help: I only found new contacts to search for drugs. So I asked for something else, then the doctor offered me a psychologist who told me about Narcotics Anonymous. I decided to join a group because I had nothing to lose. I had a criminal record and hepatitis, my family was destroyed. I lived in such conditions, you know: the leg of the chair in my house was taped with adhesive tape so that you could sit on it, repairs were not made for 20 years. I had no money, and there was nowhere to get money for paid treatment. I didn’t really like the idea of going to some groups, but there were no other ways to quit. Maybe this will help? Ten years ago, I attended my first Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Since then I have not used drugs. I quit drugs without expensive treatment. There was simply no money in the family at all. I came to Narcotics Anonymous - and my choice was simple: either die or try what they offer. Some part of me still wanted to live, but I was dying from drugs and could not stop using. I was willing to do anything to get well, even things that seemed pointless. Because no matter what, there was a part of me that wanted to live. I jumped into Narcotics Anonymous as a last resort - and it worked. Some of the people I know in NA groups started their recovery in institutions, and some, like me, came from the street. In Narcotics Anonymous groups I was offered to attend 90 meetings in the first 90 days - this will help. But I went even more. In order not to be alone, I was in the group in the morning and in the evening, and after the meetings I went somewhere with my new recovering acquaintances. I was constantly in contact with those who stopped using, who can understand me. When I was having a hard time, I called people in Narcotics Anonymous and told them what was happening to me. I had about 10-15 numbers written down, if I could not get through to one, then I called another. There was a friend who spent a lot of time with me during the first month and supported me. Every day I spoke up in the meeting, asked questions, followed the advice, I held on to this way to quit - and it worked for me. I was able to quit and not go back to drugs. Even before I came to Narcotics Anonymous, I knew that it was better for me not to use drugs: I could not stop, I was insane and self-destructive. I went into remission and was able to stop injecting and abstain for a while. But I had no idea how to live without drugs, obsessive thoughts and fears appeared in my head - drug use seemed the only way not to go crazy. When I got to Narcotics Anonymous, I was ready to recover, I really wanted to quit drugs. I just came to these groups and asked what I should do to quit. I was told not to use drugs and come to meetings - and I did. I understood that I was a drug addict, that I had destroyed everything in my life, that if I continued to inject, suffering and death awaited me. I had no illusions. By listening to people in groups and working the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous, I learned how to live clean. Now the problems in life were not the reason for using drugs. The program of Narcotics Anonymous taught me not only to quit, but also to live, cope with everyday difficulties, find support for myself and what will help me solve my problems. Working the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous gave me the opportunity to live different situations, gain experience without resorting to drugs. There are black and white streaks in life, I used to not be able to live through hard times without getting anesthetized. Now I have learned it. I do not put off solving problems for later, I act, despite the fear. Thanks to the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous, the groups, the people I interacted with, who helped me, I not only quit, but also began to live like a normal person, even though I am a drug addict. To people from the outside, I seem like an ordinary person, in some ways even successful. I still have low self-esteem, sometimes it seems to me that I am not successful enough, I am doing something wrong, I feel sorry for myself. But I understand that this is just my disease. Today I can laugh about it and move on. I can ignore what my illness is trying to instill in me. If I am honest with myself, open to new things and willing to take positive action, I can live a normal life despite my illness. It's work, but it's worth it. The time when I first quit drugs and came to Narcotics Anonymous was not easy. First of all, it was hard to live through cravings. Secondly, there were always a million crazy ideas, thoughts, fears in my head. It was dangerous to act on these thoughts, it was not clear what to do with them. It was hard to live, remembering what I had done in the past - it was unbearable to look at these situations with a clean look. I wanted to use drugs. Daily visits to groups helped me to live through all this. I couldn't be alone. He came an hour before the meeting, talked with friends there, sat in a group, and then went with them somewhere, to a cafe, for example. I attended all the anniversaries and holidays that Narcotics Anonymous gave. I am grateful to those guys from whom I received support in the first year of cleanliness. Sometimes I called someone several times a day, sometimes I called at night. I talked about everything that went on in my head and bothered me. I had no psychologists or any other professional help, but there were those guys who also quit and were ready to support me. They told me that I was not alone, that I could call them, that they could come and help me - and it really was. They called me with them when they were going somewhere. During the first six months of cleanliness, I visited more cafes and restaurants than in my entire life before. It's okay for me now to go out with my wife or a friend to eat out, but before when I used I didn't do it because I usually didn't have money. The first year is the most difficult period. I have benefited from Narcotics Anonymous meetings, connecting with others who have also quit, and participating in groups. I cleaned the room after the meeting or made tea - I was constantly doing something useful, spent a lot of time in groups or next to other recovering addicts. It gave me the strength to get through the day without drugs. When I stayed clean for 60 days, I was congratulated on my anniversary. But I felt very bad that day, I didn’t want to live. I was thinking about going to use. But I called a recovering friend who also quit drugs without hospitals and rehab, he went the way I went. He told me that he was far away and could not come, but he talked to me for several hours and shared a meditation technique that helped to calm down. His sincere participation was very important for me then, thanks to him I was able to live that day clean. In the first year, the main thing is not to be alone, not to be alone with your illness. Many people gave me advice: both friends and doctors, but it did not help me quit. I had friends with whom we smoked several times - and they no longer smoked, and I continued and switched to heavier substances. They were not interested in using it, they did not need it. They told me that drugs are bad, that I should quit injecting myself, but I can drink. Boys from the district told me to take my will into a fist, start studying, doing sports. I listened to their advice, but I could not follow it, it did not suit me. Once I got drunk with a friend and told him that I use and I can not quit. He passed it on to my mom. Then she looked at my hands, saw the bruises, and gave me a Narcotics Anonymous book. At that point, I wasn't ready to accept help, so I threw a book at her and said I didn't have a drug problem. Narcologists also told me that I shouldn't inject, but I can drink. What I liked about Narcotics Anonymous: they didn't give me any advice, instead they shared their personal experience. They were addicts like me, they themselves went through this path and were able to quit. Recovering drug addicts of mine called me, asked how I was doing, called me along and told me what they did at first. It was so sincere. It was felt that this was their experience, people know what they are talking about. They understood how bad I felt during the first days of cleanliness. They spent a lot of time with me to support me. They told me not to be alone, I called them at least at 2 o'clock in the morning. I felt their care, love, I felt myself here. It felt like I've been coming here all my life. I haven't had a relapse since I came to Narcotics Anonymous. After a year and a half of intravenous use, I realized that I could not quit. I thought: “We need to decide something so as not to get stuck too much.” Tried to switch to alcohol, smoke weed. Then I managed to stay clean, not to use anything. I had plans for the future: how to recover at the institute, what to spend money on. I understood that I definitely shouldn’t inject, because I already had experience: I tried it intravenously once - and a year passed like one day in the search for and use of drugs. And then one evening the landline phone rings, I pick up the phone, and there are friends with whom I used. I warned them that I was quitting, but they still called me and offered to use it. They already had everything ready. When I hung up, I already understood that I didn't need either college or a job - I didn't need anything else. I'm back in use. Then I became physically worse, I had dreams, after which I realized that I was dying - I became scared. Turned to religion for help. Then I managed not to use hard drugs for six months, but on weekends I sometimes drank like a normal person. I recovered at the institute, I felt that I now have a new life. Six months later, my friends called me again and offered me my favorite substance. It's like I forgot that I can't shoot. I only thought about how good it will come to me after I haven’t used for a long time. I returned to my old life again. After this incident, I didn't even try to quit for a couple of years. I understood that it was useless. My most recent unsuccessful attempt to quit was when I went to the drug treatment hospital. In the beginning, I was determined to really quit and never use again. Gradually my physical condition improved. When I left the hospital, I really wanted to use it, but I couldn't find it right away and stayed clean for a while. I understood that it was necessary to live on like this, because I had suspended sentences, a lot of debts, hepatitis - I definitely couldn’t inject anymore. Every time I tried to quit, I started using more. Without Narcotics Anonymous, I didn't know what to do, how not to go back to drugs again and again. When I came to Narcotics Anonymous, I didn't want to experiment anymore. At the end of the use, my life was sad and hopeless, I had no desire to continue it. In the morning I injected with surrogate opiates, and in the evening I got drunk mixing cheap alcohol - it was every day. I felt bad about it, but it was impossible to live without changing my mind, and it was no longer possible to find the drugs that I wanted. I used substances that I never liked in order not to stay sober, not to think about what was happening. I could not accept my life like this: everything was lost, all opportunities were missed, problems with the law, with health. Therefore, when I came to the group and saw drug addicts who really lived clean, I decided to get hooked here by any means and also recover. . I didn’t even have a thought to stop coming, even though everything in Narcotics Anonymous is voluntary: if you want, you attend groups, if you don’t want, no. I was 100% ready to stay here because I wanted to live. I did not want to suffer, I did not want to see the problems that I created because of my addiction, but there was a deep instinctive desire to live. I understood that if I used it, I would continue to suffer and soon die - it was scary, realizing this, I suddenly wanted to live. Something inside me said these bands were my only chance. I've tried everything: hospitals, psychologists, doctors, advice - nothing has worked for me. Different coding methods did not suit me, because I used everything in a row. I understood that I had a choice: life or death. And life is a new way. And this new path was given to me by Narcotics Anonymous. I am very grateful for this. Before, it seemed to me that the whole world was against me. The police are enemies, the government is not right, I was not lucky with my parents, I was born in the wrong country, in the wrong house. I felt unhappy and blamed others: mom and dad or the state. All because of them, and I'm a martyr. Therefore, I use. Such an approach does not lead to anything good: thoughts of suicide or use appear. And in Narcotics Anonymous I was taught to perceive this world differently. Like I said, I haven't lost my temper since I got into Narcotics Anonymous. Before that, there were attempts when I replaced one substance with another or kept on willpower, but always returned to use. After these attempts at abstinence, I used more than usual, these were difficult and life-threatening periods. While recovering on the 12-Step Program, I didn't break down, but I did have a few critical moments. My illness is incurable. The problems started when I thought I was not like the other addicts in the band. They are bad, but I am good. They have to go to groups all the time, and I'm super-advanced, I don't need it anymore. Meetings for beginners, and I already know the principles of the program, I know how to apply them. With these thoughts, I began to go to groups less often. It seemed to me that the meetings were full of nonsense, that I had already grown out of it. I thought that one should spend time and energy only on one's social development. These delusions almost led me to a breakdown. After eight years of cleanliness, I became very distant from Narcotics Anonymous. I started having mental problems. It was so bad that the doctor wanted to prescribe me psychotropic substances. I understood that such drugs were dangerous for me and decided to go back to recovery first. I began to attend groups and actively work on the 12 Step Program. Now I understand that if I put not recovery, but something else in the first place in my life, then the disease begins to kill me. Now I choose recovery - and I want to live. Before I came to Narcotics Anonymous, I thought it was okay to drink alcohol. Every time I tried to quit, I started drinking. But when drunk, he lost control of himself and went for his favorite substances. It was a vicious circle. When I was told in groups that alcohol is also a drug, it leads to a breakdown, I agreed with this. From my own experience, I knew that once I started drinking, I would inject. I saw that recovering addicts don't drink, and that experience suited me. When I used, I did not trust my first wife and constantly controlled her. Even installed special devices to keep track of where she is. I was jealous of her, called and demanded to report on where she was and what she was doing. I didn't care about her feelings, about our child, I only cared about how I felt. And if she did not behave the way I wanted, I suffered greatly. I was a completely inadequate person. Besides, when I used, I had nothing to give to my family. I could only destroy myself, I could take something out of the house. After I started to recover, I got married a second time. In this relationship, everything is different, because I am different. I work and invest in my family, not in substances. I try to spend as much time as I can with my child. Although business requires a lot of time, I pay attention to both my son and my relationship with my wife. I consider it important to invest in sexual relationships, to know what is important for a partner, and not to think only about myself. How to quit drugs | And lose the desire to use
How did I know that I didn't want to use?
Although I have not used drugs for 10 years, I call myself that to remember where I came from. My addiction can manifest itself in different ways, but the peak of this disease, the most dangerous for me, is drug addiction. 
They left me in kindergarten for a five-day period, I wanted to go home, but I could not get there. 
Help me quit drugs
The main stereotype: “Don't quit on your own”
Every drug addict has a chance to quit drugs. Withdrawal syndrome at home. How to survive?
A person can quit drugs on his own
The best way to return to normal life
Sex without alcohol and drugs was a new experience for me, for example. I was ashamed and scared to call someone at work, but over time I got used to it. I have learned to communicate with people. 
The most difficult period - the first year
I was constantly with people who understood me, who were also able to quit drugs, because I could not cope with this alone. If I was left alone with myself, I immediately wanted to go to use. 
And if there were, then I was sorry to spend them in a cafe, because the most important thing was drugs, not food. 
Help is better than advice
Even in the narcological hospital they said so. But for me, this way to quit did not work: if I drank, then I immediately went to inject. Why it's so easy to get stuck again
I've experimented enough before. 
Tried to quit again. 
But then an opportunity arose, I decided to use once, only one - and again ended up on the system. Psychologically adjust yourself. What to think about?
It was about survival, and I didn't care what anyone would say, who would think of me 
Seeing yourself as a victim is not the way to go
If broken and stuck on a new one
I attended 90 meetings in 90 days, like at the beginning of my cleanliness, even though I hadn't used drugs for 8 years. I became involved in the life of Narcotics Anonymous, selflessly sharing my recovery. I sought experience and worked the Steps. And it really helped me. Get off heroin and not start drinking
Quit drugs and became a normal husband
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