Synonyms – Proper Alternatives to Stop, Break, or Kick an Addiction

phraseologysynonyms

With reference to someone trying to break an addiction, what is a word that properly means to stop the behavior? While "break" and "kick" would be understood, they are more informal than desired. "Stop" gives a connotation of something that is easy to do, which is not what I want to convey.

Best Answer

Words like suppress and fight suggest more of a struggle against a certain behaviour, like in the case of addiction.

Also, overcome is a word commonly used to represent "kicking" an addiction.

e.g:

"He finally overcame his alcohol addiction after fighting for three years."

or

"He fought to overcome his alcohol addiction and succeeded, after three years."

(Links to OED definitions)

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