Thank you very much! Know that I really appreciate your help, even if I can’t Thank you individually!
Addiction is so hard. It’s also so easy.
You just need a fucking purpose. Get into something that will consume you in a positive way.
Buy a nice backpack, and get into a group with some novice backpackers. If you find the right thing, weaning off addiction is kinda cake. If you don’t find the right thing, it’s impossible.
Hiking worked for me.
For me it came down to feeling seen within a group and feeling connected to that group through some higher purpose (hiking).
I quit smoking, because I started college again. It had been my dream for ever, to get a bachelor’s degree. Finally got the oppertunity to do it, so I convinced myself I couldn’t afford it if I didn’t quit smoking. I’m actually proud of that one and I’m not one who feels proud easily.
It depends on the addiction and the individual, some may need help, others don’t.
Personally, I reached a point where I was feeling so terrible (and was undergoing a battery of medical tests to find out why) that I just felt like I couldn’t keep on drinking. So I stopped.
I quit drinking about 11 years ago. The first week or so was very difficult. Then the next 3 months were tough but bearable. I used several resources to help me: a therapist, some books about addiction, r/stopdrinking (there’s a c/stopdrinking).
It’s hardly been an issue after about the 6-9 month mark. I did have one extremely stressful time in the past year that I was somewhat close to considering the idea of drinking, but it passed.
Some people use AA (and other 12 step programs). They did not speak to me – I did go for a few months, but in the end, I felt I didn’t need it.
Naltrexone and a change of scenery.
I used to smoke. Roommate and i quit at the same time and kept each other honest. It worked out really well and we’re both still grateful to each other a decade later.
