At the end of the day, we as addicts can only live a clean and sober life when we are darn well ready to do so. At the peak of our addiction, if you would have asked anyone who has severely abused drugs or alcohol if we thought that there were solutions to drug abuse, we would’ve responded with something completely ridiculous like “I don’t have a problem so that doesn’t concern me,” or “yea, use more!”.
It’s almost laughable when I look back at the way I thought about drugs before I went through rehab. Having a sense of humor about my past is the best way I’ve found to cope with all the pain I and those who love me endured because of my addiction. I can’t change what has already happened, but I can continue to come up with creative solutions for drug abuse to help myself and others deal with the beast that is addiction. Here are a few post-treatment solutions for drug abuse that I’ve come up with that work for me:
- Arts & Crafts. Seriously. If you would have asked me to sit down and play with a hot glue gun 10 years ago while I was still abusing drugs, I probably would’ve said “sure” and then tried to figure out a way to get high off the glue. It really works! I really enjoy spending time creating trinkets and crafts whenever I feel one of those moments of “man, if I only had some weed. Just a little weed” coming on. Keep your hands busy creating and you won’t have such a desire to use. I swear it works.
- Exercise. Now that I’ve been living a clean and sober life for over 9 years, I find that sweating is my drug of choice. Physical activity is probably one of the most fulfilling solutions for drug abuse over a lifetime. Go out and get a nice lather on your body and you’ll be surprised at how satisfied you feel afterwards. It has a very calming effect. You don’t have to go nuts and climb a mountain, just run around the block or go for a swim or shoot some hoops. Sweating feels good and it keeps your mind and body busy.
- Cooking. I know, I know… cooking right after exercise? Yup. I did it. Getting in the kitchen truly makes me feel at peace. It might work for you as well. It’s one of the best solutions for drug abuse after my treatment that I have found. It keeps my mind busy all day thinking of the possibilities that I can conjure up in the kitchen; additionally, cooking keeps my body busy after the meal when I feel the need to do something with all the excess calories I consumed.
There Are Different Solutions for Drug Abuse for Everybody
These are just a few creative solutions for drug abuse that have worked for me and allowed me to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle post drug treatment. If you are beginning the journey to leading a righteous life without drugs or alcohol, give these activities a try and see if they help. I hope they do.
To learn about more traditional solutions for drug abuse, call 1-800-411-9200 to speak with a drug treatment professional.