How to manage an addiction

Managing and overcoming addiction is possible, but it typically requires motivation, the right combination of support, and treatment tailored to the individual. Recovery looks different for everyone, but these approaches consistently support it:

Acknowledge that there’s a problem

It is almost impossible to move forward without this. When someone with an addiction fully acknowledges that it is a problem and that they are ready to seek help, this lays the necessary groundwork for recovery. 

Get a professional assessment

A great first step can be to reach out to a trained professional to get an assessment. This might be at a recovery center, treatment program, or reaching out to an individual behavioral health provider. This step can often take a lot of courage and support, but can be the launching point to recovery. 

Prioritize your safety, including medical support when needed

Beginning recovery often requires more than motivation. It also requires a safe and supportive environment. Look for care settings that feel structured, respectful, and aligned with your goals, where you feel physically and emotionally safe and where exposure to triggers or destabilizing situations is minimized. Early care should feel like a stable place to land, even if you feel nervous or unsure at first. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and medical support may be necessary, especially during detox or withdrawal, and having consistent, supervised support during this stage is important to reduce risk and support your safety.

Choose a treatment setting that fits your needs

Treatment programs can be expensive, especially if insurance won’t pay for it. Unless you are in an emergency, or in urgent need of detox services, make sure that you’ve found a place that meets your needs. 

You want to make sure the treatment setting specializes in your addiction, provides evidence-based treatment to support recovery from that addiction, and offers programs that are long and intensive enough to help your recovery. 

There are many different levels of care offered across treatment facilities. Make sure to ask about the details of these levels of care, as well as about the length of time and the cost. Work with a professional and loved ones to determine what level of care best suits you. 

Start evidence-based therapy

Once you have committed to treatment, you should start evidence-based treatment. The most commonly recommended evidence-based treatments include: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), contingency management (CM), motivational enhancement therapy (MET), and family behavior therapy (FBT). 

Other interventions such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) have also shown benefits for addiction treatment. If you have a co-occurring disorder, other treatments may also be needed to help with symptoms that are impacting the addiction.

Identify triggers and plan for cravings

Early work in evidence-based addiction treatment involves identifying the triggers for cravings. It may be a relationship, criticism, driving past a liquor store, or a range of other possibilities. Awareness of triggers and a plan for when they arise form a foundation for recovery. 

Develop replacement coping skills

For many, substance use or addictive behaviors are used to cope with triggers, difficult moments, and intense emotions. It is a way they seek being more calm or less sad, anxious, or angry. To manage addiction and overcome it, a person needs to develop coping skills that replace what addiction does for them.

Learning to reduce emotional intensity, reframe negative thinking, and tolerate discomfort without substances is essential to learning how to fight an addiction.

Consider medication when appropriate

Medication may be needed as part of recovery treatment. There are medications recommended by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) that can help with opioid recovery such as buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methadone. 

NIDA guidelines recommend nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion, and varenicline for nicotine. There are also several medications they recommend to help with alcohol recovery including naltrexone and acamprosate. If you are struggling with co-occurring disorders of mental health, using medications for your mental health condition may also be an important part of treatment. If you’re considering medications, you should consult with a prescribing provider who specializes in addiction. 

Keep going if you slip or relapse

For many people, slips and relapses are part of their recovery journey. If you’ve been working on overcoming your addiction and have a relapse, it does not mean all is lost. In one large national study, the typical person (median) reported about two serious recovery attempts before sustaining long‑term recovery, though many people need more tries. 

If this happens to you, take the lessons from the relapse and keep working towards recovery. A relapse can be a source of information; about triggers, gaps in support, or what needs to adjust in the treatment plan.