DESIRE AND DILIGENCE –

May 31, 2022 – When dealing with any sort of mental health issue or neurodivergent diagnosis, developing a set of coping mechanisms and skills to deal with the negative side of these attributes is essential to coping with the resulting problems in a healthy way. When it comes to substance abuse, this is especially true. Creating a set of skills as a “mental tool box” as a way to help persevere through active addiction is key to recovery.

With this tool box, skills like de-escalation, coping with triggers, mindfulness activities, and general methods of mitigating any negative effects of your diagnosis become accessible to you for your use in your time of need. These skills are a primary component of cognitive behavioral therapy, which relies on the conscious efforts towards behavioral change made by the individual. By applying these tools to treating substance use disorder (SUD), you can jump-start your long-term recovery timeline and establish important skills for reaching sobriety.

“Self-care is extremely critical when dealing with substance use.” … The first step towards recovery is admitting that you have a substance abuse issue. When it comes to beginning your long-term recovery timeline, establishing your early-stage sobriety is crucial to creating a productive and healthy pathway towards recovery. Admitting that a substance has a hold over you is never easy, but it is crucial for establishing sobriety.

From this point forward, taking actions within your control to limit your access to substances with abuse potential is crucial for maintaining this sobriety. These actions begin with getting rid of any substance that triggers your addiction. It’s also important to dispose of any paraphernalia that can lead you out of sobriety or spur your addiction.

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