BATTLING DRUG ADDICTIONS; WHAT TO DO

If you are a victim of drug abuse, it is not too late to stop and get your life back on track!

Here are 5 ways you can effectively battle drug addictions:

1. Make The Decision To Change

Change is the only constant thing in life! For you to begin your battle against drug addictions, you need to make a firm decision within your heart to change. No one else can do this for you. First start by getting a diary and writing out the harmful effects of drug addiction to your life. Then ask yourself if there is anything that is preventing you from changing. Put into consideration how your drug addiction is affecting those around you (family, children and friends) You will also need to analyze how you have lived your life and identify areas where you need to change.

2. Choose Your Friends

'Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are!' This is a popular quote that our parents and teachers always repeated during our childhood days. They weren't wrong! Most of our decisions in life are normally influenced by friends and peer pressures. If you suffer from a drug addiction, you might want to spend less time with them and cut off all ties. Form new friendships with those who are not drug addictions and experience life through their own eyes.

3. Reach Out For Support

You cannot go this journey alone. No man or woman is an island. To effectively battle drug addictions, you will need the support of family and friends to pull you through. Let your family know what you are going through and lean on them for support. You can also try to grow your social networks by joining a group in your church or mosque that help with drug addiction struggles. You might also want to get the support of a rehabilitation centre.

4. Rise Above Stress

Stress and anxiety is one of the major reasons why people abuse drugs. Even after battling a drug addiction, you will find that problems actually never go away. What matters is how you handle these problems and overcome stress. There are many ways to overcome stress and anxiety without abusing drugs. They include: exercising, listening to music, reading a good book, hanging out with friends, taking a short walk through the park, talking to a friend about your problem, taking a warm shower and even sleeping! Develop healthy habits of dealing with stress and you will find that you are one step closer to putting a stop to your drug addictions.

5. Chart the Course of your Life

Remember you are special and you can be an inspiration to the whole world - or even just those around you! You can live a fulfilled life and achieve your true potentials. But this cannot happen unless you are determined to succeed. Go back to your diary and write out your dreams for yourself. Write out your plans for your life and list out ways that you can achieve them. Be determined to live a healthy life filled with purpose and you will see that your drug addictions will be a thing of the past.

Next week, we will be presenting a comprehensive list of drug rehabilitation centres around Nigeria for our Purple Community members who need help. Until then, be determined to live a healthy life and know that the Purple community is behind you