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GAMEPLAY

Brain Functions

changing your environment

Get your environment ready. Remove reminders of your addiction from your home, car and workplace. Get rid of all the bad stuff that goes along with the habit, as well as other items that remind you of the habit.

• Consider replacing the objects with items that help you feel positive and calm. Fill your refrigerator with wholesome food. Treat yourself to a few good books or DVDs guessing they don't contain content that could act as a trigger. Place candles and other pleasing items around the house.
• You might want to redecorate your bedroom, rearrange the furniture, or just buy a few new throw pillows. Changing your environment will give you the feeling of having a fresh start.

professional Help

Seek personal and professional support. It might not seem like it now, but you're going to need all the support you can get during your journey to overcome addiction. Because so many people battle addictions, there are many wonderful institutions in place that serve as support systems, helping you stay motivated, providing tips for success, and encouraging you to try again if you have a false start.

• Research in-person and online support groups designed to help people with the specific type of addiction you're battling. Many resources are free.
• Make an appointment with a therapist skilled in helping people through addictions. Find someone you're comfortable with so you'll be able to rely on him or her in the months to come. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), behavioral therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Gestalt techniques and life skills training are amongst the techniques that have been proven successful for those seeking to overcome addictions. A therapeutic setting ensures that you will have privacy and that the treatment will be based on your particular needs and goals.

Make A Plan

Set a date to quit. Don't set it for tomorrow, unless you're pretty sure quitting cold turkey will work for you. Don't set it for more than a month from now, because you might lose your resolve by then. Aim for a date in the next couple of weeks. This will give you enough time to get mentally and physically prepared.^[3]

• Consider picking a date that's meaningful to you, to help motivate you. Your birthday, father's day, your daughter's graduation day, etc.
• Mark the day on your calendar and announce it to those close to you. Build it up so that you won't be likely to back down when the day arrives. Make a firm commitment to yourself that you're going to quit on that date.
  

Make A Commitment

Write down your quitting commitment. Having a list of solid reasons to quit will help you stick to your plan in the long run. Your reasons for quitting must be more important to you than continuing your addictive behavior. This mental hurdle is tough, but it's a necessary first step to quitting any addiction. No one can make you quit but yourself. ^[2]Write down the true, solid reasons you're stopping this habit. Only you know what they are. Here are a few examples:

• Decide you're quitting because you want to have energy to live life to the fullest again.
• Decide you're quitting because you're running out of money to support your habit.
• Decide you're quitting because you want to be a better partner to your spouse.
• Decide you're quitting because you're determined to meet your grandchildren one day.