Get Off Drugs

All around the world there are people trying to get off drugs. When caught in the grip of addiction the idea may seem impossible. Before I tried to get off drugs I didn't believe it was possible to enjoy life without some sort of drug to get me through the day. All my attempts to get off drugs always seemed to fail, until I had used up all my resources to fuel my addiction. I had to lose everything. I was in and out of jail looking at prison time for my drug use. I had burned all my bridges with friends and relatives who had tried to help me get off drugs. When I had nowhere else to go and no one else to use, I became willing to do what it took to get off drugs and stay clean. My first step was checking myself into a rehab. Now a rehab can help in the short term to get off drugs, but it is up to the addict to apply what they learn. A rehab is a great way to put 28 or more days together off the street and clean from the use of drugs. Rehab is not a school to learn how to moderate drug use though or graduate from perfectly cured. That is a false belief many addicts have before they go into their first rehab trying to get off drugs. It helps start you out with the tools needed to stay off drugs when you leave. Here are some steps I took while I was in rehab to help me get off drugs and stay off drugs.

1. Stay away from people telling "war stories", that is people that sit around talking about how life is on the street. In treatment we are trying to move forward to a better life free of drugs, not looking back on the "good times" we thought we were having.
2. Get to know people that come to visit. Treatment is a great place to meet other addicts that know how to get off drugs and stay off drugs living a clean and sober life. Don't be shy and ask for phone numbers. We weren't shy on the street looking for our fix, so why be shy now that we are trying to get clean.
3. Read, read, read, read. The only way we can keep the negative stuff out of our brain is replace it with some positive. Our addiction lives in our thoughts, and it doesn't want us to get off drugs. By reading our spiritual literature and recovery text we keep the bad out.

Treatment is the first step to getting clean, but it can also be done in prison, jails, or institutions. Whatever you do to stay away from the places you used and get your head clean will greatly improve your chances to get off drugs.

Babel