If you’re asking yourself this question then your drug use may have moved from recreational to an addiction. We know from experience that drug addiction is a very difficult thing to beat, but it is possible to stop taking drugs and live a full and happy life, clean and sober.
Please don’t lose hope and know that there’s plenty of help out there, whether it’s in a luxury drug rehab facility like ours, through your GP, support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, or through online addiction treatment programmes. Ask for help, commit to your recovery and start your journey to a life free of drug addiction.
In this article we’ll offer some practical advice and tips on how to stop taking drugs, and our qualified, experienced addiction specialists and therapists are on the end of the phone if you are feeling desperate and need help.
Practical advice for stopping taking drugs
Take a close, hard look at your drug use and work out whether it is having a negative impact on your life and if you are addicted to drugs
It may sound clichéd, but the first step to stopping taking drugs is to really look long and hard at your relationship with drugs, how much you spend on them, how often you take them and what impact taking those drugs are having on your life. Ask yourself some difficult questions and answer honestly –
- Are you taking drugs on a regular basis?
- Do you feel like you need them to function?
- Are you experiencing any withdrawal symptoms if you don’t take them as much as usual?
- Are you experiencing cravings?
- Do you take drugs on your own, or in situations when it isn’t appropriate or safe to do so?
- Have friends and family members noticed changes in you?
- Is your drug habit impacting your family life, social circle and causing you financial worries?
- Do you think you need help to stop taking drugs?
If you’ve answered yes to any or all of these questions, you need to admit that you have a problem and you are addicted to drugs.
This is hard to face and a difficult thing to admit to yourself, or your friends and family, but it is the first step to being able to get clean, so we encourage you to be honest with yourself and others. Only then will you be able to get the help that you need to stop taking drugs.
Ask for help and look for treatment or support groups which is suitable for your level of addiction
To someone who is not addicted to drugs, the answer to the question “how do I stop taking drugs” is an easy one – just stop! Throw away your stash, don’t buy any more and stop going to the places and hanging around with the people which support your habit, or trigger you to use. However, those of us who have dealt with drug addiction know that it isn’t that easy and medical professionals also know that it can be dangerous to stop and “go cold turkey” without the right medical or professional support. This is why the next step after admitting you have a problem is to seek help.
The first step is often to speak to your family and friends and let them help you. A strong support network at home is hard to build, but with honesty and respect you can do it and their help through your recovery will be valuable to your long-term recovery.
If speaking to your loved ones when you are feeling so vulnerable feels too hard, then book an appointment with your GP. You often have a relationship with them, and they offer a safe place to admit that you are addicted to drugs. They can also provide you with information about the help available on the national health service. That may be counselling, therapy, rehab, or local support groups, but speaking to your GP is a great first step.
If you’re not comfortable to admit your addiction to your local GP, as you fear judgement or being seen to be seeking help, then another excellent option is to attend a meeting of a peer support group like Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous. In these meetings there is no judgement, everyone has been through it themselves, and there is support and 12-step programmes to follow to stay off the drugs.
In the case that the addiction is really out of control and you’re not able to stop taking drugs. You may need to get out of your home and your destructive cycle of addiction in order to make a change. In this case, residential rehab is an excellent option. Luxury drug rehab like ours offers drug withdrawal support, with medical staff available to help where required.
Once you’re clean, our secondary treatment programme begins. Enabling you to get to the root of the problem, strengthen your body and mind and offer you the tools you need to stay on the right path. Our rehabilitation treatment includes drug counselling, 12-step programmes, cognitive behavioural therapy and group and one-to-one therapy. The aim is to understand why you started using in the first place, deal with any trauma or underlying issues which you’ve been masking with substances. As well as dealing with the mental health side of addiction, we have experts here to help you to overcome the years of neglect that is often associated with drug addiction on your body. We offer nutritional rehabilitation and fitness training to strengthen your body and teach you how to look after yourself when you get back home. We also offer yoga and meditation to teach you how to deal with stress without falling back on drug use.
Our experienced and highly qualified team understand what you are going through and are committed to giving you the tools and the strength you need to stay clean for good. We also offer family liaison and support to help rebuild relationships and help you to create the support network you need to thrive out of residential rehab.
Whichever route out of drug addiction you take, we believe anyone can stop taking drugs and lead a happy and healthy life. Once you’ve admitted the problem and sought help, you’re on your way to a better future. It may not be an easy road, but you can do it!
If you’re serious about stopping using drugs, we are here for you. Contact our drug rehab in Spain today and find out how we can help you make a lasting change. If you need more advice, read this article on overcoming drug addiction.
If you’re concerned about a friend or a family member and don’t know what to do, here’s some great advice from FRANK about drug use and how to talk to your friend about it. We know how worrying and frightening it is to see your loved one losing themselves to drug abuse. That’s why we’re here for the families, as well as our patients and offer family counselling and liaison to keep you informed and help you recover from the impact of drug abuse. Please feel free to contact us with your concerns, and talk to us about how our luxury drug rehab can offer a safe, comfortable space for your family member to withdraw, recover and obtain the help they need to break the cycle of addiction.
