With almost all addictions, when you give them up, you will likely have urges to go back. Something in your brain tells you that whatever you were addicted to was the correct thing for you and all of a sudden, you remove it from your life. So today I want to talk about how I control those urges.
First things first, I had to be held accountable. Whether you are at a point in your life that you can call on God to hold you accountable or if you need to rely on others. The important thing is to share your addiction with someone and then have that person consistently ask how you are doing. This could be a counselor, a friend, a family member but it should be someone that you trust. For me, it was my wife (girlfriend at the time). Towards the beginning she would ask me once a day if I was doing okay. I think it’s important for both parties involved to remember what you are trying to accomplish. When she would ask me almost daily how I was doing, I felt like she was nagging me. At the same time, I was going through something that was not easy for me so I already on edge. The combination of these two things caused some conflict between us. Although I had asked her to check in on me and see how I was doing it was still a very difficult thing for me to answer to.
Secondly, do what you need to do in order to take your mind off of it. That could be to go for a run, play a video game, read the Bible, go for a drive, pray, cook, anything that works for you. Sometimes all it takes is 5 minutes to get over that urge, other times it may take a bit longer but it’s important to eliminate the thought from your mind.
Lastly, don’t put yourself in situations that the addiction is not easily controlled. It’s easy to relapse if you are in a comfortable situation when you used to do things you were addicted to. So try to plan in advance and avoid those situations.