If experiencing depression or anxiety potentially caused by compulsive consumption, abstain from the drug of choice for 30 days to reset reward pathways and allow symptoms to resolve spontaneously.
Commit to not telling any lies for a month, not just about substance use, as even small lies can lead to bigger ones and undermine recovery.
Actively remove yourself from triggers and reminders of your drug of choice to avoid the dopamine spike from anticipation, which leads to a dopamine deficit state and intense craving.
Leverage ‘pain’ to reset reward pathways by engaging in hard activities like exercise, ice baths, martial arts, yoga, prayer, or meditation, which indirectly boost dopamine in a healthy way.
Practice the ‘one day at a time’ approach, focusing on abstaining for just 24 hours, and implement self-binding strategies to create barriers between desire and consumption, acknowledging that willpower is a finite resource.
The primary biological intervention for addiction is 30 days of abstinence from the drug of choice to restore baseline dopamine firing and homeostasis.
If at risk for life-threatening withdrawal from substances like alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, seek medically managed detox rather than attempting unsupervised abstinence.
If unable to abstain in your usual environment, consider higher levels of care like intensive outpatient programs or residential treatment facilities to provide a restricted environment for recovery.
Join mutual help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous to share lived experiences and connect with others in recovery, which can be highly effective for maintaining sobriety.
Engage in individual and group psychotherapy to address addiction, as it can help reteach meaningful and intimate human connection, which addiction often replaces.
Understand the brain’s pleasure-pain balance, where pleasure is always followed by a tilt to the pain side, to better manage expectations and reactions to rewarding stimuli.
Avoid continuous consumption of a ‘drug of choice’ without waiting, as this leads to accumulating ‘gremlins’ on the pain side, requiring more potent forms of the drug just to feel normal or get high.
If you experience the ‘come down’ or ‘after effect’ of pleasure, wait long enough for the neuroadaptation gremlins to hop off and restore a level balance, as this reduces the overwhelming urge to seek more of the substance/behavior.
Understand that the first two weeks of abstinence will be difficult due to universal psychological withdrawal symptoms, but improvements in mood, anxiety, and overall functioning typically begin in week three or four.
Monitor for the ‘four Cs’ of addiction: out-of-control use, compulsive use, cravings, and negative consequences, and be open to feedback from others about the impact of your consumption.
Pay attention to the ’lying habit’ or ‘double life’ as an early warning sign of addiction, where you minimize or lie about consumption to yourself and others.
Be aware that regular, large-quantity use of addictive substances can lead to a secondary problem of addiction, which is a disease in itself, separate from the initial reason for use.
Recognize addiction as a primary, progressive disease that requires direct intervention, rather than expecting it to resolve spontaneously by only treating underlying issues like depression or trauma.
Understand that substances or behaviors that release more dopamine faster are more reinforcing and potentially addictive, helping to identify high-risk activities.
Be aware of the universal psychological withdrawal symptoms—anxiety, irritability, insomnia, dysphoria, and craving—when abstaining from any addictive substance or behavior.
Participate in recovery communities that celebrate abstinence and provide accountability, as the anticipation of declaring a relapse can motivate continued sobriety.
If you relapse, return to your recovery group and declare yourself a newcomer, as these communities are designed to support re-entry without shunning, making you a valuable member by sharing your experience.
If seeking support, consider grassroots, independent mutual help organizations that focus solely on recovery, as their lack of external affiliation contributes to their effectiveness.
Be aware of and challenge rationalizations like ‘I only use on special occasions’ or ‘I never drink alone,’ as these normalize and perpetuate problematic substance use.
If you are seeking help, ensure you are working as hard for your own recovery as those trying to help you, as a red flag is when others are working harder than you are.
Consider medications like naltrexone (an opioid receptor blocker) for treating opioid or alcohol addiction, as it can reduce the reinforcing effects and craving by blocking dopamine bumps from the drug or its reminders.
Incorporate regular exercise into your routine as a potent natural sleeping pill, though acknowledge it may not be a foolproof solution for all sleep issues.
Adjust your expectations about healthy adult sleep, understanding that intermittent awakenings and waking up in the middle of the night are normal and not necessarily signs of a problem.
If struggling with sleep, learn to accept intermittent awakenings or mid-cycle awakenings as normal, rather than fighting them, and trust that good nights of sleep will balance out the difficult ones.
Be aware that sleep aids like Ambien primarily cause amnesia for awakenings rather than significantly increasing total sleep time, which can create a false sense of deep sleep.
Focus on accumulating small accomplishments and positive experiences throughout the day, as many ‘good days’ contribute to a fulfilling life.