How to Quit Drugs

I’ve never been what I’d consider a recreational drug addict, but I’ve had a few occasions a long time ago when using recreational drugs had started becoming a problem.

I wasn’t the guy who had to be high all the time, but I dabbled in some recreational drugs before.

In my own personal opinion, drugs do not become a problem until they become addictive and/or start running your life. I don’t consider performance enhancement a drug problem unless you’re spending too much money on them and they’re hurting your life.

I don’t put performance enhancement in the same category as a drug like cocaine.

Some people will not see that they have a drug problem until they start losing things. These losses could be anything from a job to a relationship, to your freedom.

I’ve had other addictions along the way, not in the form of recreational drugs though. I had a terrible addiction to dipping snuff for quite some time. It started out as a way to nullify hunger during a diet, but then it got to the point where I could dip through an entire can in about 3-4 dips.

I struggled to end this addiction and the easiest way for me to quit was to do something positive instead of something negative. I started whitening my teeth and brushing them every time I felt the urge to dip. Once I started seeing the results I didn’t want to dip anymore.

If there was any excuse to doing drugs it was probably because I felt lonely and eventually started losing respect for myself.

When I met my wife she knew I had used them before since I was open about it. I didn’t use them around her except for one time. That was the very last time I used hard drugs because she told me that she was ending our relationship.

I swore to her I’d never use what I was using again and I never did. I realized right then and there that feeling high wasn’t worth losing someone special. There are no gray areas here.

You have to realize that what you’re doing is a problem before you can quit.

I know several people who smoke marijuana on a regular basis. Some can function and be successful while others become bums.

I know more people who smoke pot that are bums than people who are successful and motivated though.

Part of this comes down to personal character. I know a couple realtors who smoke pot but when they wake up in the morning until the time they go home that night it’s all about business and they don’t use it at all. I personally don’t think this is a big deal if you can control it.

I believe hard drugs are definitely a bigger issue because of the damage they can do to your body and the people around you. Hell, I guess even marijuana can too if you’re getting behind the wheel of a car or dealing drugs.

Addiction can come in the form of anything really. Anything from food to nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and even sex can become an addiction. Anabolic steroids can become an addiction also.

It really all depends on how you look at it. If drinking coffee is what helps you get a job done or get through a workout then is the addiction good or bad?

I don’t classify a drug problem as something someone uses, but it’s when it starts ruining your life or other people’s lives.

I’m a realist here; do you not think there are drugs that give soldier and pilots more concentration and focus to keep from getting shot up?

Are there not drugs that help with anxiety and stress so someone is more pleasant to be around? Just because you take something on a regular basis does not make you a drug addict if it enhances your life and doesn’t hurt it.

No matter what the addiction is, if it’s hurting you then this is the best advice I can give someone to end it….

FIGHT OFF YOUR DEMONS THROUGH BODYBUILDING

Bodybuilding is something that a lot of ex-users have turned to and it’s totally changed their lives. It may be hard at first but once the ball gets rolling it becomes a snowball effect.

You will see yourself starting to get better and better and that stupid addiction will be replaced with a positive one.

One of the most inspirational videos I used to watch was a motivational story about Arnold Schwarzenegger and how he went from a kid with a dream to actually putting it into action.

Whenever I would feel the urge to dip or do something that would hurt my workouts I would watch that video. After about 3 minutes into the video it would change my mind really fast about caving into an addiction.

10 Ways to Help Quit Drug Addiction

#1 – GET HEALTHY

Get in the gym and start working out with weights and doing cardio. Start eating better. Working out is a much better addiction than sitting around high all of the time.

If you feel the urge to use the drug then immediately do something active to get your mind off it! Go for a walk, play a game of tennis, lift weights, anything other than drugs!

#2 – WATCH MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS

If you need to go to YouTube and watch some inspirational video to remind you that you have better goals than getting blazed on drugs then do it! Hell, I’ve done this before… several times!

#3 – LOOK AT OTHERS WHO HAVE LOST THINGS

If you need to get in your car and drive through a bad section of town then go for it, you’re sure to see examples of people who never stopped boozing and using.

#4 – GET A PET

A lot of people who have drug addictions are lonely people. Look at celebrities and drug issues! Have you ever heard the expression that “fame is loneliness?”

These people cannot leave their homes without being bothered and half the time they have issues with people trying to get photos of them or trespass on their own property!

With indispensable income and feeling like a prisoner in your own home I can see how it’s easy to dabble in drugs, I really can.

Get a pet if you need a friend and take your dog for a walk or spend time with your pet to keep your mind off using.

#5 – START DOING VOLUNTEER WORK

If boredom is a trigger to your drug addiction (which in most cases it is) then start volunteering your time and do something positive.

I never looked at volunteer work as being beneath me, because I believe when you do good in life it always comes back around.

I don’t do nice things because I expect anything in return, but I’ve had some very crazy things happen before from helping out others.

#6 – START READING MORE AND LEARNING

Sometimes you just need something to occupy your mind. I think that drug use is a problem among people with too much on their minds, but also among people with not enough on their minds.

You could start reading something or researching something and help get your mind off drug use. Basically you need to stay busy!

#7 – START DOING MORE OUTDOORS

I have rarely ever met someone who wasn’t upbeat when I went to a park or for a walk someplace around other people. A lot of people you run into outdoors are people who may be looking for the same things you are!

These people are probably people who are open to meeting new people, having good conversation, or just a sense of purpose that day.

Fishing is also a great way to relax and clear your mind without having to resort to drugs. (Okay, alcohol can come with this with a lot of people but it doesn’t have to!)

I’ve found that fishing is a great way to just relax and enjoy life!

#8 – START RELYING ON YOURSELF

Stop making excuses and start owning up to your problems. Quit pointing the finger at other people and hold yourself accountable for your actions!

If you’re late for work then it’s not the traffic’s fault, it’s your own damn fault for not leaving early enough! If you ate like shit then it’s not your job’s fault, it’s your fault for not packing food!

At the end of the day if you can’t take care of yourself or rely on yourself then who can you count on? You’ll only become a bother to people if you cannot take accountability for your own actions and decisions.

You can make the right decisions or the wrong ones, but that is a battle that only you can fight!

#9 – DROP THE LOSERS AND SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE

This one is tough because there seems to be a lot of losers out there nowadays. Although it may feel hypocritical at first, stop hanging around these sorts of people.

When I was dipping it was much easier to quit when I wasn’t near someone else doing it. Sometimes I couldn’t avoid it, but if I could get away from them while they were dipping then I would walk away.

Another thing you could do is find a church to attend. While I don’t claim to be a Bible thumper, my life got a lot better when I started going to church and trying to live the right way. At least in church there are positive people and a lot of churches have help they can offer you if you need professional assistance in getting off drugs.

I used to be that guy who was trying to bag every female I could. The more chicks I bagged, the more I realized that the types of girls I was getting with had no morals. At one time I had no morals either.

I think a girl who has a strong faith is probably a lot less likely to screw around on you than a girl without God in her life. It took me a long time to realize this.

A lot of what I mentioned above can be found through a good church. You can find positive people, volunteer work, a sense of purpose, new friends who are upbeat and positive, and extra curricular activities in a good environment.

Nobody is perfect and I wish I could abide by everything I learn from attending church, but I still feel like a better person for it.

I was one of the last people you’d ever think would walk into church. One of my major influences (besides my life feeling like it was in turmoil) was an old friend who I hadn’t seen in many years who had changed. He was all about bodybuilding, as was I.

He came down to my place for a couple of days as he was passing through, and the more we talked about life, the more sense it all started to make.

I wasn’t sold on going to church at that point, but I saw what it did for someone I knew and someone else I would have never thought of ever stepping foot in there.

I finally walked into church when my life felt like it was being ripped apart from every direction, and nothing I was doing was helping. There was no amount of money, cars, clothes, muscles, or anything else I tried to attain that made me feel a damn bit better!

Take a look around you nowadays. Do you feel like things around you are becoming better or worse? Do you think it’s just a coincidence that things are getting worse with the absence of God in peoples lives?

#10 – SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

There are certain addictions that can be fatal when you try to stop cold turkey. A lot of people who won’t necessarily die simply cannot deal with the sickness from the drug withdrawal. This is when you need to seek professional treatment. I have witnessed this first hand before.

I was seeing a girl who worked at a strip club many years ago (like a dumb ass loser with no sense). The girl had a really bad cocaine addiction and I was unaware of the severity of it. She tried to come off it after she started seeing me and she laid in bed sick for a week straight.

One day I went over to her apartment and she pulled out a bunch of photos in her closet to show me. They were photos of her before she became a drug addict and a stripper. It was pretty sad actually. I saw photos of her on sports teams, with family, and with a huge smile on her face in every picture. I saw what she once was.

After a week of being sick and fighting off drug withdrawals she couldn’t go through it anymore. She caved in and started using again, I went over there one day and she went into her bedroom with one of her friends/co-workers and I sat there on her couch for about 30 minutes.

She probably forgot all about me even being over at her place because she was too busy doing cocaine in her bathroom with her drug addict friend. I got up and left and that was the end of it. She probably couldn’t have cared less.

If you have any addiction or hangup in life that is holding you back, YOU CAN CHANGE! It’s never easy but if you want it bad enough then you can make it happen!

Over and out!

– JD

Becoming The Bull ebook

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

12 thoughts on “How to Quit Drugs”

  1. Great article. I could relate. God can change lives. My hubby and I were pretty much losers, but the geeky nobody would look at you or talk to you losers. I take that back, geeks are smart and we were horrible in school!

    Accountability has been the most important thing for me. That’s how I’ve had success before. Also, it inspires me to be competitive. Positive people do achieve more, because they don’t give up. When our loved ones fall, we pick them up.

    I look forward to getting the posts!

    Reply
  2. Fucking right brother, I had the same problems with opiates. Got pills from a Dr. I got addicted and later went on Heroin. Not proud of it but I needed a change or I was gonna eat a bullet. I put my self in rehab began bodybuilding again and that kept me positive for the entire time. Its been 4 Years sober and I know if it weren’t for BB I would of not made it. I had just went back to the past and began during what I love most. When the drugs started controlling my life I gave up on everything. I went from thinking its over to being in the best shape of my life. I gained back everything I lost because bodybuilding kept me focused. I made it look easy. I was ready to change and did. I can relate to every addict on earth and understand how hard it is to be sober. You have to want it and earn it. I am a AAS user but after coming off the H and ran my first cycle( I was sober 120 days before juicing) it reset my brain and I became so focused,smarter and no brain fog what so ever. I learned one hell of a lesson and I’ll never take a pain pill ever again. Im not at all ashamed to tell my story because its everywhere today. Thanks to Jon Doe for telling his story , I get everything you said.

    Reply
  3. Thanks for that post John, some on point information in there.
    I trained hard for most of my teenage years and became a successful athlete in my area and region. At around 18 I became chronically lethargic for reasons unknown to doctors and medical staff who told me I was faking it and tried to prescribe me antidepressants. I ended up self medicating on various party pharmaceuticals to give me an occasional burst of energy and a good time, before resigning myself to bed for a few more weeks. Eventually I got better physically with some alternative medicines and a variety of techniques including hot / cold showers and various forms of meditation/prayer, plus changing my diet and vitamins substantially. I was never able to train like a beast again after that through a combination of fear of sickness and slightly more frail health overall. Problem was, the party drugs had got a hold of me and done damage I couldn’t have suspected or anticipated. Eventually, I sought twelve-step assistance and that worked perfectly. I worked the recovery program with the same focus that I’d previously worked my athletics training and got the desired results. No more drug problem. Twenty years later, the continued loss of energy has finally been diagnosed — super high SHBG resulting in crazy high testosterone readings, but very low actual available testosterone. This will be fixed with the correct medicines, done the right way.

    I’m an advocate for 12 step recovery as I couldn’t have fixed my addiction alone. I wish anyone who reads your post and recognises they might have an issue all the help and success they deserve in conquering their addiction. Power to you, men.

    Reply
  4. I used to be a pack-a-day smoker. I also played basketball 4-5 times a week. Every time I stepped on the court it was like exercising for the first time. Decided I wanted to play basketball more than smoke cigarettes, and quit cold turkey (after 4-5 years smoking).

    It sucked. Took 3-4 months before I was ok without a smoke.

    The most important thing is number 8 – be responsible and accountable for your habit. I’ve had friends say their medicine to quit isn’t doing it’s job. I’m not sympathetic. You’ve got to own your body and mind and be better than any substance addiction.

    The rest of your bullets are good for the how-tos.

    Reply
  5. I read this article remembering how I spent my early 20’s as a stoner with no job and nothing to do after dropping law school.

    Looking back, I was only doing that because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Nowadays I only take tokes on the weekends or with girls and homies that spark it up.

    I cut out all my loser friends that only hung out with me because they had nobody else to smoke with. Now I only smoke with employed homies and hustlers, and occasionally somebody I meet in the gym.

    My only addiction now is bodybuilding, sex, and chicken breasts!!! lmfaooo

    PS: Anybody here that’s wondering if you’re a loser for being a stoner (most likely so), are you smoking the weed or is the weed smoking you?

    Reply
  6. Great article John. All of the points you listed are true for overcoming an alcohol addiction. I’m 29 and I’ve been sober for two years (I sought professional help) and bodybuilding is a huge reason I’m clean.

    I have no beef with 12 steps or rehab centers, but in my experience they don’t often recommend working out or eating right. A lot of people think it’s superficial/egotistical/cross addiction. But I know that I would have relapsed if I didn’t stay fit! Hence the reason I’m commenting here – people need to hear that fitness is a positive that can replace a life-destroying negative.

    Keep up the great work, you’re one hell of a motivator.

    Reply
    • First off thank you for the kind words. Yea, usually from what I hear a 12 step program is heavily influenced with finding God and the power to quit through faith. This is a good thing, but clean living and working out should definitely be more emphasized. It’s better to replace bad habits with good ones, not just restriction and faith, but you need those too

      Reply
  7. Sites by guys such as JDBB, Victor Pride, and Mike Cernovich got me interested in lifting weights back in August. I had always been a slim distance runner. No muscle, and a terrible sense of self.

    13 years of alchol abuse stopped within 5 months of beginning serious strength training. My body just couldn’t do both. In the end, I decided I wanted to look and feel good rather than drink whiskey and turn into a raging asshole.

    I couldn’t stop for my wife. I tried.

    I couldn’t stop for my kids. I tried.

    Once I started lifting and quit the boozing, I saw how close I had come to losing them all. Now I am up 10 lbs of muscle. I can think straight because my mind isn’t fucked. I am starting a side hustle.

    Lifting weights did it for me. Thanks to sites like these, I am like a reborn man. Thanks for the inspiration JD. Thank God.

    Reply
      • I don’t know if the gym will have a similar effect on me but I’ve already realized it has become my number one coping tool. I’ve always used drugs to cope, but now, I use the gym. The other day, I fellt helpless and lost, the gym made me more determined and emotionally stable. Today, I was feeling OK, and the gym made me feel great.

        Reply

Leave a Comment

Item added to cart.
0 items - $0.00