The Steps That Helped Me Stay Addy Free and Combat Unwanted Cravings
I've been Addy Free for two years and three months now, not because of 'willpower' or a 'higher power' like in AA. My Addy-free journey continues because I've realized that the drug offers me no benefit. If you're reading this, you probably share this understanding. Congratulations, self-awareness sets you free!
Yet, despite this knowledge, the drug still taunts us, doesn't it? We crave something that harms us, even when we don't want it. According to my Addictionologist, this craving results from our brain longing for the dopamine rush Adderall once provided, which can take up to two years to normalize. Thankfully, we now recognize that yielding to this craving is as irrational and ineffective as walking into a fire to warm up.
That's why I'm sharing the four steps that kept me Addy Free during those first challenging years of cravings. Approach each step with gratitude, knowing they'll only help you maintain your Addy-free life!
1. Out of sight, out of mind
The first step is to tell your Doctor and or Psychiatrist about your concerns with Adderall and ask to no longer have access to the drug.
Just like it was for me, this is likely going to be the hardest and bravest step you’ll have to take thus far but you know better than anyone that this is the best option. You may curse yourself at first, but in the long run, you’ll be glad you did.
2. Quitting Addy must be your number one priority
When I was a boy-obsessed teenager my mom used to say, “Janet, make a list of your priorities and make it visible; boys should be at the bottom!” I want you to do the same, but with quitting Adderall as your number 1.
Here was my priority list when I was quitting:
Quitting Adderall
Health
Relationships
Job
With quitting Addy as your number one priority, you must make it known to those in your immediate circle. Those who love and support you will be there by your side through it all.
3. Never question your decision
You must have absolute clarity on why you've quit Adderall and why you no longer take the drug. As Allen Carr, the renowned author of many books on quitting substances, suggests, cravings are born out of ignorance. This ignorance is the belief that the drug was helping you when, in reality, it was harming you. If you perceive quitting as a genuine sacrifice and think you can't live without it, true freedom eludes you. You'll remain in a perpetual state of longing and deprivation.
When unwanted cravings surfaced for me, I made a list of why I initially quit and meditated on those experiences until the cravings subsided. As the famous Greek poet Aeschylus wisely noted, 'Memory is the mother of wisdom.’ (I’m not sure about you but irrational outbursts and the lows from the come-downs were not my fondest memories).
4. Confidence beats cravings
When I felt my cravings the most it was the first year out of rehab. Although I knew I never wanted to go back, my body was still used to the chemical dependency Adderall provided which takes time to adjust to. What helped me in these situations was building back my confidence.
How might you do that you say? Here is what I did every day for 30 days:
1st- I wrote down all the things I felt I couldn’t do without Adderall. This may seem overwhelming at first because for me at the time it was literally EVERYTHING. But take a breath and stick to it, once you write it down it will feel more manageable.
2nd- I chose one of those things I felt I couldn’t do without the drug and did just that. For me, it was running. What I would do is run a lap around the “rehab grounds" every morning. It started with half a lap, then progressed to two, then three, then four (you get the point). By day 20, I was running 3 miles a day, with no problem.
If I were reading this in your position, I would be like, "Yeah, right,” but I’m telling you, it happened! Every time I showed up for myself, I got a rush of dopamine similar to that feeling after Addy that just made me run faster.
After I “got out” of "spiritual jail," as I called it, I would run to combat cravings. It got all the angst out of my system, and I never regretted it, even though it was early in the morning.
