Overcoming alcohol addiction can be a long, arduous journey. You will likely face an emotional battle filled with uncertainty and frustration. You may want to give up numerous times. However, with the right support and treatment, you can beat addiction and live a life free of alcohol. If you do not know where to start, you may want to consider speaking with a South Florida detox center specialist, like those at Summit Detox Center.
Get Professional Help
Addiction is more than a physical dependence on drugs or alcohol. Even after you complete your detox and flush the alcohol out of your system, you still need to address the psychological factors that can trigger a relapse. Common triggers include stress, social events, or the environment in which you live or work. Cravings and temptation can derail any attempt at a recovery.
Professional help gives you time and space to work through the issues that led you to addiction in the first place. A substance abuse treatment program provides treatment services such as:
- Individual and group therapy
- Trauma therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Holistic therapy
- Aftercare programs
Each type of therapy or program is designed to help you get clean and stay clean without relapse. Without professional treatment, your chances of preventing relapse are much lower.
Build a Support Network in Recovery
Addiction usually happens when you are isolated and are not held accountable for your actions. If you are going to beat alcohol addiction, you need to be around positive, powerful people who can hold you accountable for your choices, encourage you, and even share experiences in recovery. There are several ways that you can build a support network:
- Attend support groups.
- Restore family relationships.
- Take a yoga or meditation class.
- Connect with an exercise group.
- Continue therapy after rehab.
- Join an alumni program.
The people you spend time with will influence your mindset, choices, and your attitude toward recovery. Choose people who will help you at every stage of recovery. You can start by making connections with other people in your alcohol detox program.
Get Healthy
When you abuse alcohol, you consume less food, increase your body’s energy consumption, and lose nutrients. Also, you are less likely to exercise due to the way you feel. If you have decided to end alcohol addiction, you should eat a diet that will balance your hormones and provide essential nutrients to the body. In the first few months of your recovery, your nutrition levels should be higher than normal to revitalize your body.
Exercise can increase your energy levels and help you manage your emotions. It restores your mobility and strength, which you will need over the first few months during recovery. Choose an exercise plan that does not drain you of all your energy or kill your motivation to recover from alcohol addiction. Also, do not feel the pressure of getting back in shape. Exercise programs can cause stress if you are too goal-focused. Stress leads to relapse. So, choose exercises that are both enjoyable and stress-free.
Avoid Your Triggers
Triggers are emotional, environmental, or social events that connect you to your past alcohol use. These types of emotional cues can cause you to crave alcohol and relapse back into addiction. Long-term substance abuse creates an association in your brain between your daily routine and your binges. Therefore, it is important to know your triggers and avoid them to prevent relapse.
This includes external triggers such as people, places, objects, situations, and internal triggers such as anxiety, depression, anger, boredom, or loneliness. You also need to monitor your stress levels, as stress increases your vulnerability to triggers and relapse.
Learn More About Alcohol Addiction at Summit Detox
If you are determined to beat alcohol addiction, we can help. Summit Detox offers a variety of addiction treatment programs at our detox center. Call Summit Detox at (888) 995-5265 or contact us at your earliest convenience to learn more about your treatment options.
