How to successfully quit addiction/destructive habits?
If someone asked me this question 10 years ago, my answer would’ve been IMPOSSIBLE.
In my 12 years of battling chronic addiction, including a multitude of substances, the two times i went to rehab i was astonished to hear people who had successfully achieved sobriety. Not just quitting the habit/substance of problem but actually quitting everything.
At first I thought it was a lame attempt to motivate us and never paid much heed to how. Two weeks before leaving rehab, the counsellor targeted me in group therapy, wanting to know what acceptance did i have of the 12 step program. A few attempts of her relentless confrontation eventually broke my mask of acceptance and the truth came out. Infuriated I replied “I don’t necessarily agree with everything that this program teaches, you say addicts lack willpower, i’ll show you the power of a human one day”.
As you can imagine the reply was not very acceptable in that particular setting and somehow ended the confrontation. One year later i relapsed again.
As a person who doesn’t accept defeat when beliefs are at stake, i tried again, almost close to breaking, yet somehow miraculously succeeded. No help, no rehabs, nothing except raw willpower.
Here’s a few things i learned in 5 years of successfully quitting, restoring and rebuilding my entire life/identity.
It’s hard but not impossible.
We’re not helpless but on the contrary the strongest people out there.
Recovery isn’t just quitting and counting days, it’s moving forward and rising till you look back and the whole situation seems like just another bad dream.
This journey requires alot of effort and persistence
Successful people build a system, a life that makes even the idea of a relapse rather laughable.
Addiction is a dopamine related problem, an attempt to either escape something or to simply feel good again.
No one handed me a playbook for navigating this rather unsettling journey hence i had to go through a lot of experimentations, years of trial and errors.
But now i know what helps, what sticks and what to look out for.
Recently i was compelled to put it all together so millions stuck in this loop can benefit and turn their life around. A 3 phase guide which not only helps successfully quit but transform and ultimately rise to the point where they’re completely unrecognisable.
Ultimately, if i can, anyone can.
P.S Went to the same rehab and told them about the journey, the look on their faces was somewhat satisfying.