Drug and alcohol addiction go hand in hand with self esteem. Poor self esteem is a major reason why people turn to drugs or alcohol in the first place. If you are currently addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is important when you overcome your addiction you learn how to improve your self esteem.
Self esteem is all about a person’s self worth and self value. It is how a person views their self. Poor self esteem can make a person want to use drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with their view, if it is negative.
Eight Ways to to Help You Improve
If you are trying to overcome your addiction to drugs or alcohol and are trying to improve your own self esteem than listed below are 8 different ways to do so. If you are able to improve your self esteem, you will feel better about yourself and increase your chances of avoiding a relapse.
Know what you want
If you have no idea where you are at in life or what you want to do, you may feel lost and confused. As a result, you may feel like you are not sure if you are doing a good job as a whole. Instead, think about what you want to do and what you want in life. This is a sure way to improve your self esteem, can help you overcome your addiction, and can you avoid a relapse.
Set Your Goals
Now that you have an idea what you want in your life, set clear and doable goals on how you will get what you want. Be sure that these goals are what you want, and not people around you; if you do this, you may feel dissatisfied. Setting your own goals will improve your self esteem; as these goals are things that you truly and genuinely want to accomplish in your life.
Make Other People Feel Good
People will tend to like you more if you are honest, and show them that you have interest and listen to what they may be trying to say. Try to improve your listening skills and your body language. In doing so, you will not only make the person more comfortable, but you will also feel better in knowing that you made them feel good.
Keep Negative People out of your life
If you are trying to improve your self esteem after a long battle with addiction, you must not only keep away from other people who have an addiction, but also people who put you down with negative remarks and criticisms. People who make you feel bad and belittle your achievements will not contribute anything good to your life. Instead, associate with positive people who will be supportive and this will help you overcome your addiction to drugs and alcohol. These positive people can also help keep you sober when returning home.
Take it Slow
Improving self esteem will take time, so take small steps to get there. You cannot decide to change things for the better and then expect immediate results. Take is slow, one step at a time. By doing this you will gradually build a solid base of achievements that will effectively improve your self esteem.
Improving on a Daily Basis
Anything that you do, think, or say should be geared towards improving yours self esteem. There are various ways to improve your self esteem on a daily basis. You can do so by taking classes to increase your skills and knowledge, learn a new language, exercise, begin a hobby, and read and write more. In doing so, you will open up new opportunities for growth and feel a sense of capability; therefore, each day you will see an improvement in your self esteem.
Find Your Strong Points
List the things that you do well and that make you feel like a good person. This could be your intelligence, your humor, compassion, creativity, people skills, anything that you have and recognize as your skill, talent, or personality traits. When you are able to see these strong points, you must then realize that you will have them for life. You can choose to waste them and your life away with drugs or alcohol, or make full use out of them, by using them to overcome your addiction and to staying sober.
Be Yourself
You will never improve your self esteem by trying to be someone you are not. Instead, this self created mask will only hold you back from truly discovering how unique you are and the potential that you have. Being someone that you are not will make you sad, depressed, and may cause you to have feelings of using drugs or drinking alcohol.
You will Make Mistakes
You will make mistakes and it is ok. No one is perfect, but by accepting that you will make mistakes and that it is ok, you will be able to learn and grow from each and every one.
Remember, You are Unique
You are a unique individual with your own talents and qualities to contribute to this world. Try to realize this and then use it to overcome your addiction and to make something of yourself.
If You Are Recovering
If you are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction, you should be so proud of yourself. Recovering from an addiction is a struggle and takes a lot of will power and strength. Do not let your self esteem be the trigger that causes a relapse back into a drug or alcohol addiction. By trying to improve your self esteem on a daily basis, you will improve your chances of staying on the path of recovery and avoiding a relapse.
