Dealing with a drug or alcohol addiction can be a difficult time – not only for those who have the addiction, but also for their friends and family. So, when it’s the correct time to overcome it, it’s crucial that the best support possible is available to them to help them through this period.

There is no one method that will resolve addiction for everyone, so it may be that different steps will have different effects. There are plenty of options out there to be explored: here’s an outline of just five steps that may help you or someone you care about overcome addiction.

Find support

You shouldn’t try to do this on your own – you should reach out for support. It’s crucial for you to have a solid support system and positive influences around you. You’ll have a better chance of recovering if you have people you can turn to who can guide you, listen to you, and offer you encouragement.

So lean on friends and family, as they will be a great asset during recovery; you may want to think about counseling or therapy if you’re reluctant to do so. Build a sober social network, as having sober friends to support you will be important. Think about moving in to a sober living home, which will be a supportive and safe space. Also, make meetings a priority: being with people who understand what you’re experiencing can be healing.

Explore treatment options

Do this once you’ve committed to recovery. Your treatment can vary depending on the addiction, but there will be different parts that make up a successful program. These could include:

• Detoxification
• Medication
• Behavioral counseling
• Long-term follow-up

Drug treatment programs include day treatment, sober living communities, outpatient or residential treatment. You may wish to search for drug rehab near me to find what addiction treatment facilities are available in your local area.

Predict your weak spots

You may find it helpful to identify the danger zones. Make a note of these times and situations, and list suggestions of different activities that could replace them: it could be going for a walk, putting on some music, eating certain items or trying to read.

Keep a record

One definition of madness is doing the same action repeatedly, but expecting different results each time. It can be easy to see this pattern in other people, but less so your own attempts at disguising this behavior. So write down everything for you to see it: the case for breaking an addiction or stopping a behavior is stronger once you can read this evidence.

Be accountable to someone

The strongest motivator for peak performance in the professional world is an annual review – and 12-step groups use this method (called accountability) to help people to stay sober and continue their recovery. Each person has a sponsor, who acts as a mentor that will help to teach them about the program and will be there as a guide on the route to mental, physical and spiritual health.