442 Alcohol and Other Drugs
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personal coping
skills
➤ If you are trying
to stay free of drink
or drugs, avoid places
where you will feel
pressure to use them.
Work with others to
organize social events
where drugs and
alcohol are not used.
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helping relationships
Learning to stay free of drugs and alcohol
Once a person has overcome physical addiction, it is
important to learn how to stay free of drugs and alcohol to
prevent the problem from developing again.The best way to do
this is to learn better skills for coping with life. This is not easy
to do and will take time.
A woman who has misused alcohol or drugs often feels
powerless and full of shame. She needs to learn that she is
able to make changes to improve her life. One way to begin is
to make small changes that help prove to herself and to others
that she can cope with problems.
Here are some ideas that have helped women build
coping skills:
• Develop a network of support among those close to you
and ask for help when you need it. It is much easier to think
about problems and begin to solve them when you can talk
and work with others.
• Try to solve one problem at a time. That way, problems will
not seem so large that you cannot cope with them.
• Try to tell a friend or someone you trust about things that
worry or upset you, or that make you sad or angry. You
may begin to understand why you feel the way you do and
what you can do to feel better.
• Work with other people on a project to improve your
community. This proves to you and to others that you know
how to work for change. You may also find that doing this
helps you make personal changes, too.
• Meet together regularly with other people who are working
to stay free of alcohol or drugs.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012