"For me, sometimes the hardest part is the isolation. There are so few people with whom I can share my thoughts and feelings about this."

Manatee Mom

• Look for help

  There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addi...
  There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addiction you can seek help from one of the groups to help you accomplish your goal. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, or Debtors Anonymous are trained to work with you to successfully beat your addiction. They are a mentor, a crutch, and a friend in a time of need.
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• Seek support from your family

  Your family needs to be involved in your journey to fight your addiction. Only you can accomplish this important task, but you need to ...
  Your family needs to be involved in your journey to fight your addiction. Only you can accomplish this important task, but you need to ask for the support and help of your family. You may think you are the first family member with an addiction, especially substance abuse, but if you carefully examine your family history you may find a similar addiction in past generations.
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• No more secrets

  It’s time to clean out the closet and take inventory. No hiding because of shame. No hiding because of fear. You are not alone in you...
  It’s time to clean out the closet and take inventory. No hiding because of shame. No hiding because of fear. You are not alone in your addiction. Thousands of others have fought the same battle. Now is the time to list your good qualities, the things you like about yourself, and want to keep. It is also the time to list your bad qualities, your habits and addictions you wish to overcome. Writing is a powerful tool for the brain. Writing the inventory list will help your brain to help you overcome your addiction. You will be more attune to your strengths and weaknesses and better able to use your strengths to overcome your weakness.
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• Regain Power

  Many addictions are undermined because we believe we are powerless to change the situation. This is not true! You do have the power to ...
  Many addictions are undermined because we believe we are powerless to change the situation. This is not true! You do have the power to make change. It may be slow and painful. It may result in times where you fall backwards but you have the power to pick yourself up, wipe yourself off, and go forward again. Use your power to take one minute at a time, one hour at a time, and one day at a time. As you move forward use your power to look one week into the future, one month into the future.
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• Make a Life Change

  The first step to fight addiction is to make a decision that it is time to make a life change. That life change will reflect your desir...
  The first step to fight addiction is to make a decision that it is time to make a life change. That life change will reflect your desire to quit your addiction. Your life change may require one or many changes to be made to accomplish your goal.
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Explore Your Feelings

As you take your journey to fight your addiction, you will need to re-explore your feelings. One side affect of substance abuse is ofte...

As you take your journey to fight your addiction, you will need to re-explore your feelings. One side affect of substance abuse is often the freezing of one’s feelings. As you begin to beat your addiction, your feelings will begin to unthaw and you will need to re-identify with them.

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Risks

Avoid High-Risk Situations. people, places, things... that remind you to your addiction. It is very important for success....

Avoid High-Risk Situations. people, places, things... that remind you to your addiction. It is very important for success.

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Be Honest

You must be one-hundred percent completely honest with the people who are your supports: your family, your doctor, your therapist, the ...

You must be one-hundred percent completely honest with the people who are your supports: your family, your doctor, your therapist, the people in your 12 step group, and your sponsor. If you can't be completely honest with them, you won't do well in recovery.

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Stress & Anger Management

Everyone will find their own methods of relieving their stress and frustrations, this could be by working it out at the gym and relaxin...

Everyone will find their own methods of relieving their stress and frustrations, this could be by working it out at the gym and relaxing afterwards with a nice massage, or for those who are on a tight budget, dancing at home, or following an exercise DVD followed by a quiet bath will achieve the same result.

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Self-Help Groups

Self-help groups are particularly beneficial to those who have already begun to recover from their addiction. Sharing knowledge, experi...

Self-help groups are particularly beneficial to those who have already begun to recover from their addiction. Sharing knowledge, experience and views with others who have been through the same experiences and have overcome their problems, can be a great way of boosting confidence

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Think before

Before you reach for the food you are addicted to, think about how sick you will feel after you finally stop eating....

Before you reach for the food you are addicted to, think about how sick you will feel after you finally stop eating.

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Be committed

If you get through one day without eating your addictive food, get through a second day. Once you are through the second day, ask yours...

If you get through one day without eating your addictive food, get through a second day. Once you are through the second day, ask yourself why you would go back when you have come this far.

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Do more

Do more than you think you are going to need to do. This will help prevent relapses as you discover the power of your addiction....

Do more than you think you are going to need to do. This will help prevent relapses as you discover the power of your addiction.

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Build momentum

A lot of people will tell you to think big, act small. Thinking about the big picture is important, but if we want to building momentum...

A lot of people will tell you to think big, act small. Thinking about the big picture is important, but if we want to building momentum, we need to think small and act big. By thinking small, we’re able to mentally digest the changes we want to make. By thinking small and acting big, we can commit for a short period of time and put all our energy into that commitment. Then we can build momentum on mini-milestones.

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Reject perfection

We have a tendency to put things off endlessly, because we’re afraid of imperfections. This is pretty silly. If your dream is to beco...

We have a tendency to put things off endlessly, because we’re afraid of imperfections. This is pretty silly. If your dream is to become a master pianist, wouldn’t you have rather tried and failed than not tried at all?

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Relapse

While not inevitable, relapse is common. It is important to work together to prevent it, because it can happen even in good times. If a...

While not inevitable, relapse is common. It is important to work together to prevent it, because it can happen even in good times. If and when it happens, get medical help from trained professionals at the first opportunity and then learn from the experience.

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Reinvent your routine

If you're used to dancing with saucer eyes most Saturdays then it might be wise to avoid clubbing for a while. It doesn't have to be fo...

If you're used to dancing with saucer eyes most Saturdays then it might be wise to avoid clubbing for a while. It doesn't have to be forever, just long enough for you to get back in touch with having a good time on your own terms.

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Tell your friends

There's no shame in wanting to straighten out, either for a temporary period or permanently. So let your mates know beforehand. That wa...

There's no shame in wanting to straighten out, either for a temporary period or permanently. So let your mates know beforehand. That way, they're less likely to wave temptation under your nose at a time when you're fighting not to give up on giving up.

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Good Self Care

When trying to care for addicted family members or friends, take care of yourself too. Eat healthy food, exercise, see doctors and dent...

When trying to care for addicted family members or friends, take care of yourself too. Eat healthy food, exercise, see doctors and dentists when necessary, and give yourself time off to relax in solitude.

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Friendship network

when a family member is struggling with addiction, begin to build yourself a network of people who are familiar with your situation. Th...

when a family member is struggling with addiction, begin to build yourself a network of people who are familiar with your situation. These might be found in Alcohol/Narcotics Anonymous meetings or through counsellors and healthcare professionals.

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Acceptance

You won’t be able to fix your problem or anybody else’s until you accept the existence and nature of the addiction....

You won’t be able to fix your problem or anybody else’s until you accept the existence and nature of the addiction.

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Interventions

Focus on the solution, not the problem. Get help from a trained addiction specialist, and attend support groups. Don’t go it alone �...

Focus on the solution, not the problem. Get help from a trained addiction specialist, and attend support groups. Don’t go it alone – ask for help from friends and family, and don’t bluff – if you don’t follow through on threats or promises then the addict will lose faith in what you say.

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Speak to your kids

If you think your child has a drug problem, or may be developing one, speak to them! Sit down and talk to your kids about what’s goin...

If you think your child has a drug problem, or may be developing one, speak to them! Sit down and talk to your kids about what’s going on in their lives and how they feel about it all, and also how you feel about what they are and have been doing.

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When confronting somebody

Stay calm and be supportive. Make sure you’re clear about how their gambling affects you, and how you feel about it, but also point o...

Stay calm and be supportive. Make sure you’re clear about how their gambling affects you, and how you feel about it, but also point out any positives that are there – progress they’ve made, for example.

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Understand addictions

Almost all drugs are addictive in some manner, even coffee. Generally there are two kinds of addiction: chemical addiction and psycholo...

Almost all drugs are addictive in some manner, even coffee. Generally there are two kinds of addiction: chemical addiction and psychological addiction. Powerful drugs, both legal and illegal, tend to be chemically addictive. Heroin is a powerful chemically addictive illegal drug while nicotine, found in cigarettes, is a similarly powerful legal drug. If somebody is suffering from a drug problem with a chemically addictive drug, understand that it is a disease -- not a part of them. The same is true for alcoholics, for example.

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Understand that, legality aside, alcohol and nicotine and even caffeine are 'drugs'

If you partake of any of these substances, whether occasionally or habitually, do not be quick to judge drug users -- you are one yours...

If you partake of any of these substances, whether occasionally or habitually, do not be quick to judge drug users -- you are one yourself.

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Enjoy the little and big events of life

Take up exercise or outdoor sports, such as rock climbing. You will then start to feel the natural highs that the body can enjoy....

Take up exercise or outdoor sports, such as rock climbing. You will then start to feel the natural highs that the body can enjoy.

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Rediscover the art of meaningful conversation

It is amazing when two people in a coffee shop or diner have a great, intelligent conversation. It is so much better than inane chatter...

It is amazing when two people in a coffee shop or diner have a great, intelligent conversation. It is so much better than inane chatter telling one another how "wasted" you feel.

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More Tips & Hints