- Healthy Living for Addicts
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- Eating habits, both good and bad takes time to develop. So if someone has bad
- eating habits, it will take time to learn better ones. The following steps will help:-
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- 1. Document your progress in a private note book. - Reward your good days
- with stickers, coloured marker smiles, silly colour-pencil sketches, etc.
- Stick with it! Remember the tortoise and the hare, “slow and steady wins
- the race".
2. Be your own best friend - Forgive and like yourself; always bear in mind- that no-one is perfect. Be aware of your inner feelings and try to find
- healthy outlets to have fun and relax. E.g. a healthy way to deal with
- anger may be to do some exercise or attend a social occasion.
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- Parent yourself by adopting better grooming and eating habits, and by
- ensuring that you are getting enough of rest. Co-operate with your support
- network, learn how to handle stress and how to cope with the triggers that
- give rise to your addictive behaviours. Write notes for reference, if it
- helps. Forgive yourself and move on. Don’t dwell on the negative or the
- past; instead embrace the positive and start looking forward to a brighter
- and healthier future.
- 3. Stop and smell the roses – Life does have a lot to offer, a fact that is often
- overlooked in certain stages of addiction. It's important that you find
- ways to stimulate your sense of sight, taste, touch, smell and sound.
- e.g. Take a walk in the park, go swimming, visit a friend, dance and
- singing to some of your favourite songs, enjoying a warm scented bath,
- buy some fresh flowers, eating your favourite healthy foods or take your
- dog for a long walk. When you’re bored, anxious, or just need to relax,
- search through your mental list of enjoyable options and choose one.
4. Self-Improvement – Often low self esteem is at the root of addiction. To- improve your self esteem try reading motivational materials, listen to
- self-help tapes, watch inspiring movies, videos and DVDs. Learn goal
- setting,
- money handling, business skills, time management skills. Utilising the
- education system, library books, local workshops and online
- opportunities etc. Take charge of your life. See our sections on Self
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Esteem and Self
Confidence.
5. Time-out – This is 'me time' . Do not allow stress to overwhelm you to the- extent that you turn to an addictive substance to 'escape'.
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- Acceptance is 'good enough'. In other words, it’s alright to occasionally feel angry, sad, unhappy or some other not so positive emotion. That’s a natural part of life. However, instead of turning to negative addictive behaviours, seek support early and plan pro-active strategies for handling any difficult issues. E.g. when you feel anger, punch a pillow, cry when you’re sad and take a time-out break when you are faced with difficult situations.
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- Life is a process and each of us has "good days" and "bad days". During the "bad” times cheer yourself up with the knowledge that change is inevitable and that the "good" times will return.
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