When you’re struggling with an opioid addiction it can feel like you’ve lost control in your life. The cravings, the money, the broken ties with family and friends may seem to have gone too far to fix.

If you’re in the midst of opioid addiction, there’s hope. Professional treatment can offer the healing and support you need, but if you want to get started at this moment, here are 7 concrete steps you can take today to take back control of your life.

1. Throw away drug paraphernalia

A doable first step in addressing opioid addiction is to discard any drug paraphernalia you may have. Better yet, smash it, flush it down the toilet or throw it away somewhere you can’t go back for it. Get rid of it permanently, and the sooner, the better.

2. Delete contacts in your phone

One of the quickest ways to cut off your supply is to cut out your supplier. Deleting your supplier’s contact in your phone (and anyone who could connect you to drugs) is a simple and easy step that can have a big impact on ending your addiction. Make sure to disconnect on social media, too.

3. Tell someone about it

Telling a loved one about your opioid addiction is one concrete step you can take to boost your recovery. If you have someone on your team who can inspire you towards sobriety, the journey will be easier and less lonely. You’ll benefit from better accountability and a reinforced relationship with a sober friend. 

Hopefully, your friend or family member will also assist you in getting set up with treatment. Just make sure you don’t put pressure on your buddy to “fix” your addiction, only you and a team of professionals can do that.

4. Educate yourself on withdrawal symptoms

If you’ve been using opioids regularly and you abruptly stop, your body is going to have a reaction. A system that has become adjusted to the presence of opioids will go through a period of detox without them.

As your body rids itself of toxins, there are numerous symptoms you may experience. When you know about the sensations of detox ahead of time, you’ll be ready to handle them. 

It’s highly recommended to undergo this process in a licensed detoxification facility, so medical and mental health experts can help you manage the negative symptoms without turning back to opioids. You can start the mental prep on your own though, and you can do it now.

5. Start a recovery journal

When you start a substance use recovery journal the message will stick in your head that your recovery starts today. Your journey won’t take a linear path, and that’s ok. A substance use journal is a place to chronicle all the ups and downs from the moment you decide to commit.

If you’re not sure how to start a journal, check out these 31 addiction recovery journal prompts. All you need is a pencil and paper to make the next step towards sobriety.

6. Imagine your life free from opioids

One of the best ways to address an opioid addiction right now is to picture yourself sober. When you break free from an opioid addiction you’ll experience more mental clarity, have more energy, feel better physically and have more opportunities to live the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Imagining that life now can offer you motivation to start the journey and to continue when you embrace roadblocks. Whether you spend a few quiet minutes visualizing your happier self or journal about it, imagining your future is a step you can take right now to get a leg up on addiction.

7. Write down goals

Imagining a freer future naturally leads to setting goals for yourself. What do you want to accomplish when you’re no longer chained down by drugs? Write career goals, family goals and mental health goals.

When you engage in treatment a therapist or addiction counselor will help you to build goals into your treatment plan, but start brainstorming now for an extra dose of inspiration and a positive outlook.

Call for help

Making the call to start treatment doesn’t have to wait. When you’re ready to commit to ending an addiction, look into local treatment options. Once you decide where to start your journey, an addiction specialist can help you determine the appropriate level of care, organize transportation and schedule services.

Getting help for comorbid disorders is also crucial to your success in sobriety. Anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders often accompany addictions, and managing them with therapy and medication can make recovery more attainable.

Your future starts now

Kicking an opioid addiction is no easy task, but there are things you can do today to start your journey off on the right foot. Cut ties with contacts, find a sober community and get yourself ready for treatment. You deserve a life free from opioids, and you can start today.

Pyramid Online Counseling can offer you the support you need to get sober and stay sober. Flexible scheduling and licensed professionals can help you with the next set of concrete steps towards a life independent from opioids. Call to get set up with treatment at 833-525-3077.

Substance use and addiction can arise from a large number of influences – prolonged stress or anxiety, behavioral health issues, life events, relationship problems, even health strains. No matter the difficulty that has given rise to substance use, addiction comes typically when individuals begin self-medicating with unhealthy drugs and/or alcohol.

It’s important to note that no matter your challenges, you are more than your substance use. If you’re looking to manage some aspect of your life – a relationship, difficulty or challenge – know that productive alternatives to substance use can help return you to the healthy, happy life you’re looking to live. 

Substance use – the damaging use of alcohol, prescription and other drugs, cigarettes, inhalants and any other harmful substance – can contribute to damaging life patterns and developed addiction. We’ve outlined 4 tips that can help you effectively manage addiction or substance use.

1. Get the help you know you need.

Even though admitting we need help managing life’s challenges is the most difficult step in the process, it also marks the beginning of a journey away from addiction and substance use and toward recovery and sustained freedom. During this time, it’s always a great idea to surround yourself with family and friends, especially individuals who empathize with your journey and current needs, or who have successfully made the same journey to freedom you’re embarking on now.

However, it’s also important to seek help from certified healthcare providers along the way, therapists qualified to help you like they’ve helped so many others. Browse counselor profiles today, to find and schedule an appointment with a licensed counselor through Pyramid Online Counseling’s secure online platform. You’ll receive top-tier care from counselors standing by to help.

2. Find opportunities to practice mindfulness.

It’s likely one of the first interactions you’ll have with your Pyramid Online Counseling therapist: you’ll learn how to practice mindfulness. In fact, mindfulness therapy – a powerful form of psychotherapy that prioritizes meditation, breathing techniques and a concentrated focus on how breathing and thoughts affect feelings and actions – is critical in helping you distance yourself from substance use practices. Founded on principles of attention, self-acceptance and a focus on inhalation and exhalation during small periods of time, mindfulness helps you identify how your thoughts contribute to actions. If you can reverse-engineer your own thought process to determine where and when your thoughts lead you into substance use, you’ll be one step closer to eliminating addiction altogether (with the ongoing help of your professional counselor).

3. Replace destructive behaviors with productive activities.

You’ll find that it’s not enough to limit substance use to eliminate addiction in your life; in order to make positive life changes permanent, those destructive behaviors should be replaced with positive ones. Identify the times during your day when you typically fall into substance use, and make sure you have productive activities planned to deliberately overlap.

You’ll also need to be prepared for life’s stressful moments or triggers, which would normally cause you to use harmful substances. Have alternative, productive activities standing by to appropriately deal with emotions in an engaging, non-harmful way. This replacement process is made entirely easier with help from your licensed therapist, who can help streamline the process with appropriate encouragement, positive coping techniques and suggested activities that can easily take the place of substance use and the addiction that follows.

4. Take time to celebrate life’s victories.

This one might sound obvious, and we hope it is: take time to celebrate the little victories every day. Maybe you’ve noticed that you avoided falling into substance use, despite encountering a trigger. Maybe you found that today you successfully replaced an addictive tendency with an alternative, productive activity. 

Too often, we’re quick to punish ourselves for the moments in life where we fall short of our own goals, or of our counselor’s goals for us. However, when we make progress, we’re more reluctant to recognize it. Whether it’s reaching a major recovery milestone or a daily win, make sure that you take the time to appropriately celebrate.

We can point you in the right direction

When it comes to managing addiction and substance use, it’s critically important that you take the time to consult professional therapy help. Pyramid Online Counseling is here to help, with an extensive network of counselors standing by to help you take life’s challenges head on. Browse counselor profiles, find the right therapist for you, and receive licensed online counseling for substance use and addiction in the comfort of your own home.  Contact us to schedule your appointment today.