This is a very challenging thing to do, because most drugs are highly addictive, and when we are in a place of using drugs to self soothe, it can be a hard place to get out of.
The first step here is to choose your worth over the addictions you have. Most people who are highly addicted to drugs will likely reach the place of ‘rock bottom’ before they make that choice to get clean. Rock bottom is when you have come to a point in your addictions and using that you have no lower place to go, you’ve hit the lowest place you can, and the only way is up.
When you hit rock bottom, you will make that choice to move in the other direction, towards sobriety and towards life. Hitting the lowest part of where your addictions have taken you will be that moment when you realise that you can change. Moving in an upward direction from that point onwards is reaching out to others, seeking help, going within and doing the deep inner work, and surrounding yourself with community, and perhaps even especially, other people who have come clean and are living their best lives.
This process of moving upwards from the lowest point you have been to through drug addictions will see you facing all that is in the way of you living your best life. You will, as a first step, seek help, and also begin the process of removing those addictions from your life. This is where the work begins, because when you let go of a substance, or when you are making the choice to release a toxic substance from your daily or weekly use, you will face everything that was being suppressed by the drugs you were using.
This means that you will have to feel the emotions, you will have to look at those parts of you that are hurting, and you will have to begin also by moving away from the situations and people that were entangled in your addictions.
This process of coming clean will be something you will want to do only once, and never go back. Going back into an addiction after you give it up is very hard to get out of. So make sure you do this process coming clean only once, and never go back to the addictions you had. This means staying ever vigilant in your purpose to be clean and live the life you truly desire. This means having unshakeable integrity around the choice to be clean. It means living without drugs in your life, and all that drugs brought you. It means choosing to live, and choosing to live the life you have always wanted.
So, you have made the first step to come clean, or you have made it to the point where you are clean off a drug, or all drugs. This will be the daily conviction you have to live the life of your dreams. The first step is to get off the drug, and there are a couple of ways to do that, such as either going cold turkey, or slowly weaning yourself off the drug, though the end point is always to be off the drug for good, and whatever works best for you is something you will have to decide upon. The goal is always the same though, to be clean. The next step after this is to be able to handle all the cravings you will have for the drug you have given up, and this can entail using a crutch of some sort, something that will help you through those cravings. A crutch doesn’t have to be another drug though, it can be something healthy and life-giving, such as food, or even doing a practice such as swimming.
To be able to get through the craving period will be the hardest part of giving up, though when you stick with it through that craving period, you will slowly be letting go of the substance and all that it brought you.
This phase will also see you in recovery. You will have to face all that was hiding behind the addiction. And this will mean looking at all those areas of yourself that were there that were needing the drugs and fuelling the addiction. Everything that was there that was drawing in that substance and the addiction to it will have to be brought into the light, and released. This can mean doing psychotherapy, or going to an Anonymous meeting in your local area. It will mean having to face yourself, and face who you are in the midst of what has caused you to become an addict.
Giving up addictions will come in these stages of hitting rock bottom, making the choice to change, giving up the drugs, moving in the other direction by seeking help form other people and the community, and being able stay vigilant in your quest for sobriety.
This isn’t the whole process and this blog is just a glimpse into how this process works, but it gives you an outline of the steps you need to take to get clean.
If you are addicted to drugs and you need help, reach out to someone you trust and get them to help you with the next steps. Or you can reach out to me and I’ll help you.
Being clean of all drugs is a massive achievement, and something you do for life. It is a lifetime choice. And is something that will support you in creating the life of your dreams.
