| Using drugs is common in American society and | | | | described further in step three. |
| recovery of the mind and body after defeating drug | | | | 3. Find positive environments |
| addiction is difficult. In order to live a full life, drug use | | | | Bars or parties may be out of the question. Friends |
| needs to be completely stomped out. Many say | | | | may be lost. The next step for you to remember is |
| quitting is the hard part, but if you look at all the | | | | that you need to be social. Join an after-school |
| relapses of drug users, you can see how powerful | | | | activity or sports team. Go out to the movies. Try a |
| drugs are on the mind and body. Some just cannot | | | | new career. Empower yourself by being creative. Join |
| live without drugs, physically or mentally. Physical | | | | a book club. Being social is important for the addict; |
| effects are from self-prescribed medicating. An addict | | | | loneliness leads to depression, and depression leads to |
| who suffers depression, which happens often, sees | | | | relapse. |
| the drugs as a means of getting by and escaping life. | | | | 4. Avoid impulses |
| Quitting drugs may not be easy for all of these | | | | The impulse after a hard day is to find a means to |
| reasons, but staying clean and completely stopping is | | | | escape. Instead of inhaling or injecting a drug, you |
| the next big challenge. Five steps on defeating the | | | | should stop and consider other activities. TV is a |
| mental and physical effects of drugs after quitting | | | | positive escape. Going to social events is even better. |
| are discussed below. | | | | You should try not to beat yourself up for killing time |
| 1. Don't toy with anything that affects your mind | | | | with such activities because they allow you to live life. |
| A beer is dangerous for the recovering addict. Maybe | | | | 5. A day clean is a good day |
| ten years from now you can drink a beer, but more | | | | No matter what, when you, the addict, are clean for |
| often than not, completely stopping is a key | | | | a day, you must consider that day a major success. |
| ingredient both physically and mentally. Once you | | | | Any day clean, even if you made some mistakes, is |
| take a sip of a different drug, your life can go | | | | still a good day. The more sober days you chain |
| downhill fast. Some people can handle beer; for drug | | | | together, the better the feeling. |
| addicts it's a common relapse. | | | | When you fight the impulse to relapse, make sure |
| 2. Lose the drug friends | | | | you reward yourself with a treat such as dinner out, |
| Just as important as not going to the bar or downing | | | | ice cream, or a movie. These rewards put you in |
| some beers at a party, losing the people you hung | | | | positive environments doing social activities, which is a |
| out with is crucial. Those friends will lead you back to | | | | double bonus that will help you be successful in |
| drugs more often than not. The problem here is that | | | | defeating drugs. |
| you must remain social and not hide away, which is | | | | |