What Comes After Recovery?

Addiction & Recovery

Have you recently made the decision to live a sober life or are thinking about living one? Have you ever thought about what comes after recovery? Well then, this article is for you! These are the kind of things addicts think about when they are debating whether or not to kick their bad habits. “What comes after recovery?” is something every addict asks themselves. Today, we’re going to discuss why living a sober life doesn’t just mean kicking substance abuse. Living a sober life is so much more than that! 

What Comes With Early Recovery?

For those people that are thinking about going through addiction recovery, let us help you understand what that may look like for you. One of the biggest hurdles you will have to jump over is withdrawal. Withdrawal is something that every addict deals with when they initially kick their addictive habits. Depending on what substance or behavior a person was addicted to, withdrawal symptoms can vary. However, in most cases, withdrawal symptoms will most likely look something like this:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Sleep problems
  • Poor concentration/memory
  • Migraines
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Irregular heartbeat 
  • Heart palpitations
  • Nausea
  • Stomach Aches
  • Diarrhea
  • Uncontrollable itching/twitches
  • Profuse sweating
  • Muscle aches
  • Seizures, strokes, hallucinations (in more severe cases)

Symptoms and duration of symptoms will vary based on what type of addiction the person suffered from and how long they had been addicted. After some time, the withdrawal will settle once the person is properly detoxed. This process usually lasts 1-2 weeks. After this, a person will start to attend therapy and learn ways of coping with triggers that may cause them to relapse. These triggers can be anything; a person, place, thing, memory, or emotion. Once a person is able to cope with their triggers in a healthy manner, without resorting to substance use, they can begin to live their sober life. However, recovery doesn’t stop there. Recovery is a life-long process and doesn’t just stop at addiction recovery treatment. Let’s discuss how a person can live a successful sober life after recovery. 

Successful Sober Life After Recovery

Living a sober life doesn’t just mean going through recovery and then not drinking alcohol or using drugs, it is so much more than that. A sober life is one of constant change and growth. People often think being sober just means not drinking alcohol or not gambling anymore, but being sober means you are constantly finding new ways to live a healthier, better life for yourself. So, in what ways can you push yourself to change after you’ve made such a bold decision to stop your addictive habits? We’re here to help provide some answers for you! 

#1: Find Ways To Cope With Triggers

As we mentioned previously, finding ways to manage your triggers is vital if you want to achieve long-term sobriety. Anyone that has suffered from addiction knows just how powerful triggers can be. For example, if someone used alcohol as a means of coping whenever they felt depressed, anxious, or stressed out, a person could easily relapse after recovery if they experience those feelings and do not have healthy coping mechanisms. This is priority number one after the detox process. Some examples of coping mechanisms can be meditation, self-reflection, journaling, really any form of self-care. 

#2: Develop Healthy Habits

Living a sober life doesn’t just stop at kicking substance abuse, it means you are constantly finding new ways to improve yourself and live a better life than you previously did. People suffering from addiction have treated their bodies so poorly over the course of the time in it. The harmful chemicals in alcohol and/or drugs can do some serious damage to a person’s mental and physical health, so it’s best to show your body some love after recovery. Eating better food, exercising more often, practicing yoga, getting more natural sunlight, and other habits like these can be extremely beneficial to a recovering addict’s mental and physical health after recovery. 

#3: Find Groups That Of People That Relate to Your Past Struggles

Anyone that has struggled with addiction knows just how lonely that lifestyle can be. Even after recovery, some people can feel alone and misunderstand in their constant mental battle against temptations to use again. Unfortunately, there is a massive stigma around addiction so it is hard for outsiders to relate or even understand the constant struggles that addicts go through. The best thing for any recovering addict to do is to find groups of people that can relate to their struggles. This can be in the form of therapy groups or any community that is centered around addiction recovery. Groups like these can help a recovering addict feel a sense of community and feel more understood. Some people may feel as though they don’t need therapy or groups anymore, but their story can help save others. The community they build can help them continually grow in their new lifestyle.

#4: Stay Social and Develop Your Relationships

Anyone that has gone through addiction has more than likely faced challenges in any relationship. Addiction has a way of turning a person into something they are not and it often turns them into more selfish and agitated individuals. This often causes relationships to crumble or be tested. One of the most important things for any former addict to do is seek amends with people they may have wronged through their past habits. These broken relationships can weigh heavy on former addicts and, if left unrestored, can result in relapse due to the emotional turmoil. Rekindling these relationships can help a former addict relearn the importance of social interaction and relationships. Being alone is one of the worst things for anyone going through recovery. It’s a good practice for any sober warrior to be more intentional about their social interactions and relationships.

Living a sober life doesn’t stop at kicking substance abuse. The sober lifestyle is a lifestyle dedicated to self-care and self-preservation. Self-care can come in many forms; however, someone decides to do that is entirely up to them. If you are someone that has decided to recover from addiction or are thinking about recovery, take into consideration what we’ve discussed today. Feed your desire to grow by developing changes to your entire lifestyle so that you may live a happy and successful life after recovery.