The Art of breaking the chains of Addiction.

There comes a time when a person knows that their using of substances is beyond their control and is negatively impacting their life and those that they care about. Each individual’s transformational recovery process will be unique, and yet there are certain factors that lead to the successful liberation of one’s self from the grip of addiction. A couple of these factors are 1.) Training and Preparing for the abstinence and 2.) Nourishing the conditions for staying clean. 
Examples of pre-abstinence preparation: Getting educated on the detox/withdrawal process (very important!), identifying one’s related triggers, reasons or any other associations that keeps the person using/abusing substances. Another example is practicing sobriety in segments- challenging one’s self to go for as many minutes or hours without engaging in the addictive behavior and acknowledging all the thoughts/feelings that arise. How to “nourish the conditions” to stay clean? Firstly, identify the changes that need to happen, such as: detoxing and/or reducing exposure to toxicity, getting proper rest, nutrition and correct supplementation to support brain chemistry, prioritizing healthy connection and relationships, reconfiguring your life/relationships/schedules as necessary. It’s also crucial to get really clear in identifying one’s personal values, standards and non-negotiable boundaries- go ahead and write these things out! 
Admitting and confronting one’s own problems and patterns is so courageous and requires so much radical honesty, vulnerability, and the willingness to feel, and this is where true healing and change can take root. Change is not an easy process and it requires our physical and mental effort/practice to create new and healthier patterns in our lives, so having a coach and/or “accountability buddies” in this process can be of great genefit. Ultimately, you are the artist of your life and you get to choose what is true for your path forward.
Warmly, your transformational ally, 
                                                  Mary Isis