Substance abuse is a universal problem in the world today. It is the harmful use of psychoactive substances like alcohol and other illicit drugs. You will know you are abusing such substances when you depend on them to achieve certain experiences and emotions. When this is done over time, the body gets used to these habits and tends to manifest them without much sense. This happens because the chemicals in the induced substances affect the brain and it tends to treat the resultant feelings as a routine.
Life can be rather normal with substance use until it is suddenly cut off. The body being used to the induced feelings and emotions struggles to achieve the experiences independently. This creates chaos between the body and the mind and they react incoherently. This causes the body to produce specific symptoms that may be detrimental to health depending on the type of substance abuse. This is what is known as substance withdrawal. It is a series of random symptoms produced by the body as it tries to regain independence. It will need some time to slowly unlearn the habit, but with certain treatments and healthy activities, the body will achieve independence at a faster rate.
Here are 4 surefire ways of coping with substance withdrawal.
1. Nutrition.
One of the ways in which substance use affects the body is by taking its ability to absorb and use certain nutrients. Other substances may even directly affect a person’s appetite. For example, some people find it hard to eat without smoking marijuana and alcohol is known to deplete the body of folic acid, thiamine, and vitamin B6. Such nutritional issues can worsen withdrawal symptoms. Eating healthy during substance withdrawal can help ease these symptoms. Vitamins and other supplements may be used to help the affected person get adequate nutrients.
2. Experts.
Some withdrawal processes can be life-threatening and may need expert help. For example, alcohol withdrawal can lead to a state of confusion known as delirium tremens and Coastal Detox says individuals experiencing this need professional counseling and follow-ups. Getting an expert to help with substance withdrawal can help the affected person to get an effective detox and even heal in a much safer manner.
3. Knowing and staying away from the triggers.
Knowing what triggers you to use a certain substance is the first step to curb its use. During withdrawal, staying away from the triggers will help you maintain a positive mindset which will help you heal much faster.
4. Staying busy – Self soothe.
The root cause of many drug addictions is stressful situations. Many people are accustomed to substance use as a way of relieving themselves of the stressful feelings. During withdrawal, the affected person needs to find other ways of dealing with distress. Self-soothing activities such as swimming, exercise, and meditation can really help control withdrawal symptoms.
The fear of painful and frightening withdrawal symptoms keeps many people from getting help with their substance use. However, people tend to develop different withdrawal symptoms with similar substance use. The outcome of the withdrawal symptoms will largely depend on the amount of substance use. The above four tips are sure ways of attaining a safe detox but with large substance use, you can use a combination of the treatments including getting an expert to help.
To read more on topics like this, check out the health category.