National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention month. How many people do you know who have an addiction to alcohol or drugs? Some of your family members or friends may do drugs or drink a lot. 

The most important thing to know is that no matter your age, an addiction can always happen. There could be a life event that throws you off emotionally and causes you to abuse alcohol. You might have surgery with prescription pain medication and become addicted to it. The list of situations is endless. 

If you are concerned with addiction, prevention is the way to go. If you can prevent addiction before it begins, you can save yourself a lot of time, hassle, heartache and pain. If you have an addiction already, we don’t want you to think you can be saved, because you can. You can start getting your future back by contacting us here at Harmony Healing NJ today. For now, let’s go over why addiction prevention is more than just education. 

Education for National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

It is extremely important that people of all ages, especially teenagers and children, are educated during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and throughout each year, as well. There are numerous education programs and resources which can be used to help prevent addiction. Some of these things include:

• Educational workshops
• Pamphlets and brochures
• Classes
• Al-Anon meetings 
• Websites
• Blogs 

If you or someone you know is concerned about developing an addiction, don’t hesitate to reach out and get the help you need.

With this being said, during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, we also want to make sure you know that preventing addiction is much more than just educating a person about the harm of substance abuse. Action needs to take place, too. 

Buddy System

The buddy system works great for teenagers and children. It is where someone always has a buddy or friend with them when going places. That way, if someone tries pressuring them into doing drugs or drinking, there are two people who can stay strong and say no. The buddy system also works great for college students and even older adults at times. 

Making Excuses

While you don’t owe anyone any explanation for why you won’t drink or do drugs, it is okay to make excuses. If you are feeling pressured by someone to abuse these harmful substances, you can make up an excuse for why you can’t use them, such as:

• You’re taking prescription medications that would negatively interact with those drugs or alcohol
• Your doctor does drug or alcohol testing, so you can’t
• You have to drive
• You have to work or go to school

It is truly okay to put an excuse out there when you feel the need to do so. It is much better than being pulled into substance abuse and possibly having that lead to an addiction. 

Going to Meetings

Did you know there are support groups for those who have loved ones with an addiction? Mostly, people attend Al-Anon meetings for this reason. 

These meetings are anonymous and kept confidential. Whether you have an uncle, parent, cousin or someone else you know who abuses drugs and/or alcohol, these meetings can give you a safe place to vent about what you go through with this person. They can also be a safe environment for you to talk about cravings or thoughts you might be having about alcohol or drugs. 

Self-Care Matters

As you read above, education does make a difference when it comes to preventing addiction. However, during National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, our team wants you to know some actions you can also take to prevent addiction.

Right now, let’s take some time to focus on self-care. When people practice self-care, they can create a positive, healthy and substance-free lifestyle for themselves. They can feel better about the choices they make and better about where their life is heading, too. 

Not sure you practice self-care enough or not in the best ways? No worries. We want to share some great self-care tips with you today. Some of these tips include:

• Taking a hot bath
• Standing in a cold shower
• Listening to your favorite music
• Reading a book
• Taking a long nap
• Talking to a friend or family member face-to-face or on video chat
• Calling someone you care about
• Finding a new hobby
• Participating more in your current hobbies
• Meditating
• Doing yoga or other exercises 
• Eating lots of fruits and vegetables
• Staying hydrated

If you can practice better self-care and do it regularly, this can make a huge difference in the state of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. The better you feel in all these areas, the less likely you will be to abuse alcohol and drugs. 

Get Help Early

Have you already been abusing alcohol and/or drugs, but you don’t think you have an addiction quite yet? The best option at this point would be to get clean and sober and participate in some form of recovery work. These things can be difficult to do on your own, even if you don’t have an addiction yet. However, you don’t have to go through any of this by yourself. Here at Harmony Healing NJ, we have different services which can help you to detox and start a life without harmful substances.

Reach Out to Harmony Healing NJ for Assistance Today

Are you struggling to stop using alcohol or drugs? Do you have family members who abuse these substances? Do they need addiction treatment? If you or anyone you know would like help preventing addiction or getting treatment for an active addiction, don’t hesitate to contact us today here at Harmony Healing NJ. We will do everything in our power to help stop addiction in its tracks or prevent it before it happens. Don’t forget that the actions above can also help to prevent addiction, as well.