I am not a substance abuse therapist but I have been specializing in bipolar disorder and trauma for 24 years. A huge portion of my clients do struggle with addictions so I have learned a lot about what helps them stop using and what helps them stay clean. Strangely, I hear that addiction treatment centers don’t teach very many skills to help people stay clean. Many seem to refer people to 12-step meetings. These meetings are an excellent support system and sometimes people learn great tools from their sponsors but that isn’t consistent. So, I will share some tools that help my clients stay clean.
Firstly, the research reports that beyond the genetic link to addiction, there is also a link between addiction and vitamin deficiencies. Because of this, if it’s affordable, it’s a good idea to take an excellent broad-spectrum micronutrient. The best one I’ve found is from Hardy Nutritionals, their Daily Essential Nutrients. It and another similar vitamin have been in over 50 research studies with excellent results for a host of mental health diagnoses and addiction. If you follow the directions provided by the Hardy support workers, their vitamins will most likely help.
The next step is to learn to deal with the emotions that lead you to use. Whether it is screen, alcohol, a drug, or gambling, you need to figure out what you’re escaping from and how to process those emotions so that you can avoid the substance. You can journal, talk with friends or a counselor, do art, or try EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). EFT is one of my favorite tools for dealing with difficult emotions. Sometimes it will bring up grief but it will also help soothe difficult emotions. You can find directions for EFT here: https://ericalhernandez.com/eft-emotional-freedom-technique/
It is also helpful to do other activities that help reduce stress as stress is so often connected to using. Exercise is super important and it doesn’t really matter what kind you do, only that you do it regularly. Daily exercise for 45 minutes or more will help your brain grow while feeling anxious or depressed makes it shrink.
Meditation is also an important method to reduce stress and improve mood. Don’t let anyone tell you that it matters when you do it or what kind of meditation or relaxation you do. It doesn’t matter. It only matters that you do it and do it regularly, like exercise.
It is also very important to increase pleasant activities that don’t involve the substance you’re trying to avoid. This could be art, socializing, learning a musical instrument, dancing, martial arts, or almost anything that is an enjoyable activity. These activities will help you stay occupied and distracted from your desire for your substance.
Research tells us that people with substance addictions have vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies make the addict want to use the substance to relieve the symptoms of the deficiencies. Replenishing the nutrient deficiencies make it easier for you to avoid the substance. Two companies make a well-researched “broad-spectrum micronutrient” which has been shown to help manage anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addictions, and more. Truehope in Canada makes Empower Advanced which has 36 micronutrients and costs about $72 for a bottle of 120 capsules. Hardy Nutritionals in Canada makes Daily Essential Nutrients which has 39 micronutrients and costs $138 for 360 capsules. If you calculate the difference, Hardy’s is cheaper. Also, Hardy will offer you discounts if you complete some paperwork for them.
I discovered over time that the tools I taught my bipolar and traumatized clients also helped the clients with addiction stop using. Increasing your awareness around the mood or anxiety symptoms that push you to use your substance of choice will help you figure out which of the above tools will help you manage your feelings well enough so you don’t need your substance.