Alternatives To Alcohol and Other Drug Use
When you have used alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs to self-medicate or alter your mood, it may not have crossed your mind that there are non-substance ways to remedy an undesirable symptom or to feel the way you want to. For example, if you had a cold or the flu, and I asked you what you could do to relieve your cold or flu symptoms, you might say “take Nyquil or Dayquil” but you might not think to use a vaporizer, drink warm tea and honey, or get rest. If you have anxiety, and I asked you how you could manage your anxiety without alcohol or other drugs, you might say that you’ve heard that CBD can help, but you might not think to slow yourself down and do some deep breathing.
The automatic default for relieving unwanted symptoms and feelings for those in recovery from substance abuse is often to find a legal substance to take the place of illegal and/or addictive substances. But learning how to manage the symptoms without masking them (which is all that substances generally do) is so much more effective and reflective of a normal, healthy lifestyle.
The articles that are part of this wellness series will provide non-medicinal tips for relieving unwanted symptoms and will help you feel the way you want to. Click the topic below that you are interested in to go directly to the article on that topic.