Understanding the Importance of Drug Rituals...

This program involves creating other activities for you to replace what you do when you use drugs. It is essential to replace your drug using actions with some other action. This is why people trying to quit, whether it is drugs or cigarettes or any other addiction, have such a hard time if they have no replacement activity.

All of our senses; smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch are involved any time drugs are prepared. To be able to get away from drug use, we need to find a replacement which uses all the senses.

Here is my formula for creating a Drug Abandonment Ritual - (DAR) - which will work for you. Once you understand the principal, you will be able to build a program for yourself.

Your sense of Taste:
Drugs often give a particular taste in the mouth so a strong different taste is needed. Our sense of taste tells us that things are either sweet, salty, sour, pungent, astringent, or bitter. Try strong cough drops such as Fisherman's Friend or peppermints, candies flavored with violet or cinnamon, hot chocolate with a shot of flavored syrup. Also chocolate, strong cheese, liquorish, pickles, salt and vinegar chips, in fact anything that has a strong pleasing taste and which has no associations from the past drug use.

Your sense of Sight;
Fixing a drug contains much visual stimuli so equally strong visual stimuli needs to be substituted. Colored lights or candles, bright colored table cover, bright mug, flowers, pictures, photographs etc. Setting up your DAR will give you good visual input but you can also include anything you like to look at such as photos, statues, colored glass, a bright colored bandana to keep your DAR in or anything which does not carry reminders of previous drug use.

Your sense of Hearing;
Sounds play a big part in our lives although we don't always notice them. You may not be conscious of the hiss of a lighter but at a subconscious level it may trigger the need for a hit. I suggest music of some kind but make sure it is quite different from anything you have been used to listening to. Change to country if you usually listen to rock or to New Age if you listen to jazz. Chose something different from any which may have accompanied your drug use and which you enjoy.

Your sense of Touch;
Touch is an important part of anything you do. If you chose well on the things listed above, then setting up your DAR will involve a certain amount of touch but if you need more things to do with your hands, try the following. Sand, pebbles, polished stones, fishing flies, beads, modeling clay, stringing paperclips, silly putty. Use what feels good to you. Doing your DAR in a place which is totally unlike the place where you used drugs will help greatly.

Now you understand about the Drug Related Ritual, continue on to Making a Plan. You CAN do this, but you do need to plan carefully and get as much support as possible.