Living Sober After Treatment

Everyone can recover from addiction, although their paths to becoming sober will not always be the same. It all starts with the need and desire for change, beginning with instilling the belief that you can overcome the disease. Recovery remains a lifelong process of improving your health, habits, and overall well-being.

However, staying substance-free can be challenging, as difficult situations and new challenges may arise. Learning how to navigate your brand-new sober lifestyle may seem daunting at first, but everyone has the strength to embrace this new chapter of their lives.

Consider Recovery Housing

 Leaving the benefits and support of an inpatient or outpatient center can be difficult for some recovering addicts. While the treatment center focuses on fighting the disease, a sober living home helps addicts to transition to living on their own. This would include helping them to identify triggers that may present themselves in their environment.

Professionals, such as the ones at The Arizona Addiction Recovery Center, help addicts create life plans that help them map out goals they have for their personal lives. A recovery housing program or sober living home can help an addicted person form a strong foundation while transitioning without the support they are accustomed to. That support will take a new form and will provide someone in recovery with the tools required to continue on their successful path.

Avoid Temptation 

Many triggers can present themselves to addicts who have reached sobriety. Sober living homes can greatly decrease an addict’s chances of relapse since they provide support and education on how to manage triggers. Avoiding temptation is one of the key factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The first thing you will want to do is surround yourself with a solid support system that includes sober people. These people should always have your best interests at heart, hoping to see you thrive. If you notice you are lacking in that crucial area, it is best to seek help. Not only does Arizona Addiction Recovery Center offer life coaching and guidance, but they also have integrated family support sessions and therapeutic support.

You will want to keep yourself in a positive and supportive environment. This means that anything in your home that may present itself as a trigger, such as drug paraphernalia, should be removed. This also means outside of the home. Avoid places that do not serve the new sober you and do not go anywhere where you do not feel positive or places that have lingering anxiety. Surround yourself with a positive environment. Consider joining a local support group.

Replace old habits with new positive habits. This is not limited to just hobbies. If you used to wake up early every morning to engage in unlawful activity, wake up early every morning to make yourself breakfast and take a shower. This habits you create will take time to set but stick to them.

Set goals for yourself. Take advantage of each moment of each day to work towards the new goals you have set for yourself and relish in the achievements you reach. This will help you stay on track and realize what is actually important to you, should temptation arise.

 Engage In Sober Activities

 Replacing old unhealthy hobbies and activities with sober activities can greatly increase someone’s chances of staying sober. Early in recovery, people are at their most vulnerable, as they haven’t probably replaced their old habits yet or maybe haven’t fully developed their support system. It is crucial that a newcomer does their best to completely avoid tempting situations, such as tagging along with friends to the bar.

Engaging in sober activities allows your mind to stay engaged during the transition. Some healthy activities you may enjoy including yoga, reading, playing sports, and running. Look for local events through social media or the newspaper. You may want to sign up for a painting class at the local craft store or go to a play at the community center. There are also always volunteer opportunities available at local homeless shelters and animal clinics.

How To Encourage A Loved One To Stay Sober

 Having supportive friends and family will help your loved one on their path to recovery. This will help them feel supported and cared for, which will help guide them towards making the healthiest decisions. It can often be hard to determine how to encourage sobriety, so here are a few tips.

Leave any judgment at the door. This can be one of the hardest things to do, considering you and the addict may have a strained relationship because of what they have done. Try not to express any criticism or negative feelings. Try to be encouraging and uplifting. However, if the addict is reverting back to their old ways, it is best to get them to seek professional help.

Encourage the creation of more healthy habits that are substance-free. Discuss the habits and hobbies you may share with your loved one. Suggest events or activities they may enjoy.

Make it a substance-free environment. Recovery addicts should not be exposed or around any substances or paraphernalia. Removal of such items can further promote recovery and help the addict abstain from any triggers that may present themselves.

Know that recovery can sometimes take time and sobriety is an accomplishment worth celebrating. Your loved one may make some mistakes down their path, but they are still deserving and worthy of your love and support during their process.

Suggest external support to your loved one. Support groups and sober living homes can help tremendously reduce the risk that your loved one will relapse. The more support your loved one receives, the less likely they will fall victim to triggers that may cause them to relapse. Support groups provide guidance and education to the recovering addict.

Why it’s Worth Getting & Staying Sober

Getting and staying sober is beneficial for both your body and your mind. Drugs and alcohol can cause significant negative damage to all facets of your life. Not only could you suffer from liver and heart problems, but you could also experience permanent brain damage caused by the disease.

Seeking help will put you on the road to recovery and help you manage your symptoms associated with this potentially fatal disease. The Arizona Addiction Recovery Center can help at any stage in the journey.