Are you battling with any kind of addiction and seriously need help? Or is it a loved one you have that's struggling to overcome a particular addiction? If you fall within any of these categories, then good news: this is the perfect post for you.
This however will not be the usual overcoming addiction tips; we're going techy this time around. I'll be revealing to you 3 ways you can take advantage of technology in overcoming your addiction.
Although tech itself can be very addictive – negatively, but if well-managed, it can be turned around into a tool that actually saves lives: a tool that helps people to overcome their various addictions.
Here are 3 ways technology can help in overcoming addictions:
1. Addiction Recovery Apps
Mobile technology has seen to the advent of several apps specifically designed to combat addiction. There are apps that can help to prevent drug use, acting as education centers, and there are other apps developed for helping people recover from their addictions.
A common example of the latter is Twelve Steps – The Companion, an app that uses the popular Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step approach to help overcome addiction, and can indeed be adapted for any type of addiction.
There are several other addiction recovery apps like CleanTime Counter and One Day at a Time.
Some addiction-battling features these apps have in common are addiction recovery strategies, sobriety calculators, daily meditations, abstinence progress reminders, and so on.
2. Safer Alternatives
We've probably all heard about finding healthier options for addictions, and even about various replacement therapies – at least those who try to overcome addictions would have heard these.
Regular exercises, volunteering, meditation, gardening, good meals, and so on, have been recommended to help overcome addictions – by spending time doing these activities instead of indulging (especially) when the cravings hit.
Replacing one addictive substance with another might not be the best treatment for addiction, but in some cases the safer addictive is recommended. Examples are: caffeine for recovering alcoholics; niacin to treat addiction to prescription drugs; nicotine gums and patches to treat tobacco addiction, and so on.
Technology has its own contribution to replacement therapy too.
The common example is the e-cigarette. It's a far safer option than traditional cigarettes. It also gives nicotine to the tobacco addict, but in a safer way – without smoke. It's however ideal especially for the early stage of quitting smoking, as nicotine intake can be controlled.
It's also cheaper than traditional cigarettes in the long run. Once you have the device – called the vaporizer or vape pen, you only need to refill the e-liquid it uses once it's down, and occasionally replace the vape pen battery.
Resorting to the vape pen can indeed help smokers quit and overcome tobacco addiction, but there's an even better version: the smart e-cigarette.
This revolutionary device also helps to cut down on smoking by vaping, just like the normal e-cigarettes, but this time they're wireless and connect to the smartphone via low-energy Bluetooth.
The advantage they give over the normal vape pen is the control they give the user on the way to quitting. With this device, you can control the density of the vapor emitted, you can set quitting goals, track your usage, and so on.
3. Wearable Tech
You can only not know about wearable technology if you've been living under the rock for the past decade. They don't just make life easy by being great fitness tracking tools or mini version of our phones, they also now serve to make fashion statements.
But did you know, or even imagine, that these nifty devices can be used to overcome all sorts of addictions? Well, yes, they can – and they even make the addiction recovery process easier.
At the most basic level, fitness bracelets and smartwatches can be used to monitor the quitter's health during the quitting process – which is known to come with a lot of health challenges and (mostly temporary) side-effects.
At the more advanced level, there are addiction recovery wearable devices and mobile apps (that can pair with smartwatches) to help control and/or overcome addiction. Some monitor the process of recovery from, or quitting addictive substances; they track your progress, show you how much you're saving, and also give incentives for quitting successfully.
Pioneering the wearable technology for addictions space is the "Stop Smokin! for Wear" app that helps smokers quit. There's the SmokeBeat app for android too.
Other than smoking, there's also a wristband, called Pavlock, to help overcome tech addiction by giving you a mild electric shock (that doesn't hurt), or vibration, or a beep, or a public message on Facebook – depending on what you're comfortable with – whenever you go against your set goals, like checking notifications too often. Of course, it must've been paired with your phone to achieve this.
This list is definitely not exhaustive, as there are more ways technology can help in overcoming addictions (such as spending more time on social media, blogs, and forums, instead of indulging in the addictive habit).
These 3 are however very practicable, easy to choose as your addiction recovery option, and proven to give positive results.
Don't fight the addictions battle alone, recruit technology to your side, and your team just got stronger. Victory is certain!