How do you kick an addiction?

I am currently addicted to something and it's affecting me profoundly. How do I kick an addiction?

• You quit using whatever you're addicted to.

  You%27re%20welcome

• Help us to--is it an opiate, booze, food, or gambling?

• If you can afford it, OP, seek therapy. Some employers offer EAC. Otherwise, 12-step programs can be a good source of support. And they are free. Good luck!

  An%20Addict

• substitute!

• Hi OP. There is a book out called something like The Nutritional Cure for Alcoholism or The Vitamin Cure... The idea is that you megadose on certain vitamins and obscure supplements such as L Tyrosine and what not, and within weeks you do not crave the substance of your addiction (assuming its a substance). You would still need behavioral support such as group therapy. You can look up your issue on PubMed for possible nutritional / supplemental ideas too. There is a site that I like called earthclinic.com and I see that they collect personal anecdotes of supplemental therapy with addictions, too. I once read a blog comment posted by a person who claimed to be a nurse who worked with meth addicts. This anonymous supposed nurse claimed success with treating meth cravings with L Tyrosine, but I do not know the dosage. I hope you find peace and success OP.

• Get over yourself.

• Depending on the addiction, start out with a detox program, start seeing an addictions counselor and attend AA or NA meetings.

• I tried a very similar program r5. I think it may have worked for the long term but the supplements were expensive and impractical to take at the type of job I had at the time. You were literally taking several tablets several x a day. But I think if you have the money and time, it could be a great alternative to traditional detox.

  R3

• get another addiction. like exercise. sex. etc.

  anonymous

• Don't give up. It took several attempts before I was able to quit smoking for good.

• Do you really want to stop? If you're genuinely ready to stop then you'll find the willpower to stick with it. Think about your addiction - what it's masking and what your triggers are. Remove yourself from the triggers for as long as it takes to find the strength to resist them. Find an activity to distract you (exercise, video games, hiking, whatever) when you're feeling bored and/or low. It's also important to remember that most people try more than once to beat their addictions - it's human to stumble and it doesn't mean you won't succeed at some point. Good luck.

  been%20there%2C%20bought%20the%20tshirt

• OP, you need a substitute addiction. Alkies and druggies do AA/NA but it doesn't have to be a meeting-based addiction replacement. Become completely wrapped up in some idiosyncratic hobby. Some weird thing that you love, that never bores you, that you will stick with for a long time.

• Quit cold turkey and sweat it out. It can be hell for several weeks, but that's how I've done it.

  Anonymous

• Never put yourself in the position.

• I have been in rehab 5 times since 2007. The best per what I have read. I have know desire for alcohol, but once I get home....I head straight the liquor. I can eventually do it oon my own, but considering how addicted you had to be taken into situations. I think why I am having such a time right now.......had to recover from one in Sept and then another one, believe in the one behind that was in February. I have to be in the gym or I just constantly relapse.

• There is no answer that applies to everyone. Even if someone has advice you connect with, it won't help you unless you truly conclude it for yourself and make it your own.

• You must allow yourself to hit rock bottom before any treatment should be considered. Everytime I sought help I would be asked if I thought I had hit rock bottom and would be turned away if I showed any hesitancy in my answer.

• Re-read the post. Reason I can't get back to a gym is because surgery. They surgeries have all arisen from cancer. I have been in rehab 5 times since 2007. The best per what I have read. I have know desire for alcohol, but once I get home....I head straight the liquor. I can eventually do it oon my own, but considering how addicted you had to be taken into situations. I think why I am having such a time right now.......had to recover from one in Sept and then another one, believe in the one behind that was in February. I have to be in the gym or I just constantly relapse.

• Well, maybe that worked for you, R17. Maybe it does work for some. I personally can't recommend hitting rock bottom on purpose, especially without knowing OP's specific situation. Starting from literally nothing is not all it's cracked up to be, and is not always conducive to saving one's life. I also know plenty of people who have hit rock bottom, gone to treatment, gone to sober living...and went back to destructive ways.

• [quote]I have been in rehab 5 times since 2007. No, no, no!

  Amy%20Winehouse

• "You must allow yourself to hit rock bottom before any treatment should be considered" Oh, bullshit. People quit without hitting bottom all the time, and with the job market being what it is, there may be no way back from a genuine bottoming out. So don't tell people that it's hopeless unless they lose their jobs or their homes, because getting sober won't get those back. I drank heavily for twenty years, and quit while I was in the hospital for two weeks (it wasn't the drinking that caused the illness). When I got out I became a health nut, like most people do after a severe illness, and that included no alcohol when I got home. I've been sober for seven years.

• Yeah, unfortunately these days, Rock Bottom = Dead.

• Can you throw out all your alcohol?

• I wouldn't ordinarily recommend it, but AA sounds like a good option for you, OP. Go to meetings, create some new habits, and make some new friends who can help you when you get a craving, all in one fell swoop. Remember, most small cities have gay AA meetings. You don't have to fight this alone. Then when you get some sober time, you can ease off the meetings. I've heard (not from AA, though) that if you can stay sober for 5 years, chances are you'll be sober for the rest of your life. Good luck!

  31%20years%20sober

• I agree with everyone who says the whole "rock bottom" and you-can't-get-clean-until-you-hit-it is a bullshit outdated concept.

• If you're a cute guy, would giving you a spanking help and if so can I do it?

  Cliff

• Is it a physical or psychological addiction?

• Completely agree that the concept of needing to hit bottom is counterproductive bullshit. I can't stand most of the overwhelmingly negative crap found in AA, but even most AAs will tell you that "bottom" is whenever it's gotten bad enough that you're willing to change. Telling someone that they must find some mythical, all consuming low in order to have any hope of changing can lead to self destructive behaviors that the addict otherwise probably wouldn't have resorted to, which only leads to the addict experiencing further trauma, which usually only leads to - you guessed it - more substance abuse to cope with the newly self-induced problems.

  Trust%20me%2C%20I%27ve%20been%20there.

• As a sober person, I have NEVER understood the one size fits all attitude of AA. Acting like all addicts "addict" the same is absolutely insane to me. They try and say that they don't promote that idea, but they do. We need a hurricane system of measuring addicts. 5s need a different sort of treatment than 1s. As do 2s, 3s, and 4s. And then we have Tropical Storm addicts, functional addicts to the normal world. I was a solid 2. I didn't need to hit a crazy, sucking cock for crack in downtown LA as three teeth fell out of mouth bottom. I just wasn't that sort of addict. No judgement for those addicts that are/were. It took me a few months of sobriety to be okay with the fact I didn't need 14 meetings a week and to eliminate all my non-sober friends or whatever. For me, it was enough to just quit drinking. Everything else in my life remained the same. I couldn't be happier.

• Another reason I hate this "rock bottom" bullshit is that AA types use it to excuse all of the AA program's failings. If someone goes to AA and still can't quit, they won't admit that the program isn't working, they'll just say "You weren't really at rock bottom". It's an incredibly destructive thing to tell someone.

  R21

• Actually r21 it's mostly said that relapse is part of recovery.

  12%20Stepper

• I agree that there are different levels of addiction. If you can use recreationally and it doesn't affect your job or your relationships, fantastic. If you can stop after drinking 1 glass of wine and not have to finish the whole bottle, I'm jealous. As they say, one drink (hit) is too much and 1000 is not enough. And when you do have to completely abstain in order to live a reasonably good life, having support from a structured group is beneficial to a whole lot of people.

• R32, I don't mean different levels to distinguish between an addict and a normie (which is the behavior you described). I mean different levels to distinguish between addicts. When I started in AA, I was told, 90 meetings in 90 days, take commitments, get a sponsor, speak at meetings, etc. It was all too overwhelming. I wasn't even that gung ho in my drinking! But I was treated like a category 5 addict and when I tried to assert my individual take on the process, I was told I was living in "self-will". I did what I was told initially. And then, after a few months, I realized I didn't need all the structure that so many addicts do need (and thank god those that do need it, have a place to get it).

• As my wise grandmother used to say, "You know how you stop drinking? You STOP DRINKING!"

• Well, hold on now, R34. It's rarely as simple as that. But lucky are the ones to whom that applies.

• Alternatively r30, if someone is successful at moderation/quitting after leaving AA, they'll just say that that person was never a "real alcoholic" (which of course is bullshit and an insulting oversimplification). One way or another, the program cannot be viewed as anything but perfect by the true believers. I found AA initially useful for the social aspect, but after a few months I realized I could no longer sit there and listen to the bullshit anymore. I'd recommend checking it out to anyone in immediate need of a social support network who doesn't have one, but I'd strongly recommend against listening to their claims that they are absolute experts on the alcoholism subject.

• I couldn't agree more, R36. I love being sober, but I also love being able to live my life, not be forced to attend meeting after meeting. It's great for some. But for me, it was too "victim-y".

• I look forward to my weekly meeting. Feeling "forced" to go is counterproductive. Perhaps some have to go as part of an agreement with the courts - in that case find a meeting at a church that has good music!