Substance abuse and drug addiction are affecting millions of people but you don’t have to be one of them. Taking control of your life now by using certain strategies can help you avoid becoming one of these people struggling with drug addiction every year. Use these 6 steps to improve your life and avoid becoming dependent on drugs:
- Develop Your Passions
Do you love to dance? Do you stay up late writing? Or are you passionate about a particular sport? No matter what you are passionate about there are other people that share your passion. Find them online or locally and work with them to develop your passions. Form a running club if you like to run or join a group that writes fan fiction for your favorite TV show online. Spending your time and energy on things that you like to do will make drugs seem a lot less attractive.
- Manage Stress
Stress is one of the biggest reasons why people turn to drugs, so finding healthy ways to keep stress under control can help you avoid using drugs. Exercise is a great way to manage ongoing stress. Meditation is another way to handle stress. Creating effective strategies to help you get through particularly stressful times will help you keep your perspective and keep you from using drugs.
- Get a Pet
Pets make life a lot richer and they can be a source of love and strength even in bad times. Studies have proven that having a pet can significantly lower stress, make you less lonely, and keep you more actively involved in life. The love of a pet is a wonderful thing and make your life seem less empty or unfulfilling. If you can’t keep a pet in your home because your lease doesn’t allow pets you can volunteer at a pet rescue or shelter playing with the animals and helping to take care of them.
- Avoid Temptation
If you know that you are prone to addiction or if there is a history of substance abuse in your family avoid the temptation of drugs. When you know that you are likely to develop a drug addiction because it runs in your family or because you have an addictive personality avoiding drugs totally is the best way to stop a substance abuse problem before it starts a standpoint out of which a large scale anti-drug media campaign named“Just Say NO” was given birth urging people to adopt such an attitude of refusal whenever offered drugs. Don’t hang around with people who use drugs or people who abuse alcohol so that you won’t be tempted to do the same.
- Build a Support Network
If you have family members that you can turn to when you are stressed out or anxious let them help you through hard times. If you don’t have family support find friends that will be a support system for you. You can make friends through hobby groups online, through local clubs, or through your school or work.
- Volunteer
Helping others is a great way to make your life better. There are hundreds of organizations that rely on volunteers to function. Why not take a hobby that you love and use it to make someone’s life better? You can help the elderly by reading to them and keeping them company. Or help kids by tutoring in areas that you know a lot about.
