Breaking Free: Escaping the Grip of Addiction and Finding Healing

Healing isn’t about never feeling pain. It’s about learning you can survive it without running.

For many struggling with trauma and sleepless nights, the use of substances may feel like a refuge—a way to escape racing thoughts and pain. At first, it seems like relief, but over time, it can become a trap, keeping you from real healing. And when the night feels endless, when your chest is tight and sleep won’t come, it can feel impossible to let go.

Right now, if you’re struggling—if the urge is strong and you feel like you can’t make it through the night sober—pause.

Take a deep breath in.

Hold it.

Now slowly let it go.

Repeat this until your heartbeat slows just a little.

You don’t have to fight the pain alone. You don’t have to numb it either. You just have to get through this moment.

When Panic Hits

• Breathe slow – In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. It will pass.

• Get out of your head – Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.

• Shock your system – Splash cold water on your face or hold ice in your hand.

  
  

When Sleep Won’t Come

• Create calm – Dim lights, drink tea, listen to soothing sounds.

• Tire your body – Walk, stretch or do dance around in the evening.

• Relax your mind – Try a guided meditation or journal your thoughts.

• Trust the process – Your body will learn to sleep again.

Quitting isn’t about depriving yourself—it’s about giving yourself the chance to heal fully. True rest and peace come from within. Breaking free means exploring healthier ways to process trauma, like therapy, mindfulness or movement. Some nights will feel unbearable, but those nights are proof that you are feeling again. And feeling is how you heal.

If You Feel Alone and Let Down

Waiting for professional help can feel endless, especially when you've been hurt by the very systems meant to help you. But you are not broken—you are healing. Until support arrives, you can help yourself:

• Be your own safe space: Speak to yourself with kindness, as you would to a dear friend.

• Release emotions in small ways: Scream into a pillow, write angry letters (you don’t have to send them), cry when you need to.

• Find a rhythm: Structure your day with small rituals—morning stretches, tea at night, a comforting book.

• Lean into movement: Shake off tension, go for a walk, dance to music that makes you feel alive.

  
  

Remind yourself daily! You are surviving something incredibly hard. That means you are stronger than you feel right now.

A Life Beyond Numbing

Right now, the idea of peace whilst sober may feel unbearable. The thought of facing everything raw might seem worse than staying in the cycle. But healing isn’t about feeling good all the time—it’s about finding a way to exist without constantly running from yourself.

You don’t have to believe in some distant version of happiness yet. Just believe in the next breath, the next moment. Focus on small victories—one night, one craving resisted, one moment of stillness. Over time, those moments will build into something stronger than pain: resilience.

Even on the nights that feel impossible, you are still here. Every time you breathe, every time you resist, every time you allow yourself to feel, you are showing strength. Healing doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen in a straight line—it’s a process that ebbs and flows.

But every moment you choose to stay, every time you face the darkness without running to what numbs it, you are moving closer to the peace you deserve. You may not see it yet, but each small step is a victory in itself. And that is how healing begins.