Support tools

Familiar places

One of the biggest obstacles to changing your meth use can be the people you associate with. It will be very difficult to stop using meth if everyone around you is still into it. Walking away from a group of friends is very hard, but to give yourself the best chance of making positive changes in your life, leaving behind old using friends will be necessary.

Taking care of business

In the early stages of changing your drug use, keeping on top of self-care will help you stay on an even keel. If you let yourself get too hungry or tired, you will be more vulnerable to over-reacting to situations. The same goes for stress – stress can be a trigger for some people to using drugs.

HALTS

HALTS is a great acronym to remember when everything feels a bit overwhelming and you just want to throw it all in. First stop, take a moment and ask yourself “Am I feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired?” Any one of these can make what you are feeling seem a lot bigger than it actually is. This is not to minimise whatever you are going through – it just helps keep things in perspective. Recognising you are actually hungry, in need of sleep, lonely for company, angry at someone or something or stressed can save you from picking up drugs again.

Hungry

When you were using drugs, regular meals probably weren’t part of your daily routine. The body needs fuel to keep going, and letting yourself get too hungry can heighten your emotions. Try and get into the habit of eating three meals a day of good nourishing food.

Angry

There will be some days when you just feel downright angry at everyone and everything. Being angry isn’t a reason to use drugs. Instead, if you are feeling angry pick up the phone and call someone,  go to a 12-step meeting or write about what has pissed you off in the first place. Talking about what is going on for you will help the feelings shift – you will not feel what you are feeling forever. It will pass.

Lonely

It is normal to feel lonely when you are trying to live a new life without drugs. Feeling lonely can leave you vulnerable to going back to old friends and using buddies just to fill the void you are experiencing. This is why it will be really important to have an extensive support network of people who do not use drugs who you can call and spend time with.   

Tired

Sleep deprivation is used as a torture technique so its little wonder lack of sleep can make it harder to deal with everyday life. Adults need 8 hours of sleep per night to function properly during the day. There will be times when the best way to deal with a situation is to take yourself off to bed and reconsider things after a good night’s sleep. You might be surprised how differently you perceive things when you are well rested.

Serious

Taking yourself too seriously or getting seriously stressed are two factors that can end up pushing you over the edge. Although being dependent on drugs is a serious matter you do need to find a way to let go and have fun (without drugs that is).  Keeping on eye on your stress levels will also help put things in perspective because when you are stressed even little things can tip you to breaking point. Exercise is a great way of managing stress so if you find yourself stressed out and hanging out go for a brisk walk to shift the energy, pick up the phone and talk to someone about what is stressing you out or write about it.

"Sometimes if I’ve had a real shit day, a P pipe flashes in my head and I’m thinking 'Oh, it would be really nice right now', but then that just goes as fast as it came."  Stephanie