In addition to doctors and psychologists, many clergy members, social workers, and counselors offer addiction treatment services. Seek treatment for any mental health problems simultaneously. Your best chance of recovery is by getting combined mental health and addiction treatment from the same treatment provider or team. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having positive influences and a solid support system is essential. The more people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, the better your chances for recovery.
Lean on close friends and family. Having the support of friends and family members is an invaluable asset in recovery.
Build a sober social network. If your previous social life revolved around drugs, you may need to make some new connections. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering , or attending events in your community.
Consider moving into a sober living home. Make meetings a priority. Join a step recovery support group, such as Narcotics Anonymous NA , and attend meetings regularly. You can also benefit from the shared experiences of the group members and learn what others have done to stay sober. Did you start using to numb painful emotions, calm yourself after an argument, unwind after a bad day, or forget about your problems? Once you have resolved your underlying issues, you will, at times, continue to experience stress, loneliness, frustration, anger, shame, anxiety, and hopelessness.
These emotions are all a normal part of life. Finding ways to address these feelings as they arise is an essential component to your treatment and recovery. There are healthier ways to keep your stress level in check. You can learn to manage your problems without falling back on your addiction. Different quick stress relief strategies work better for some people than others. The key is to find the one that works best for you.
A brisk walk around the block can be enough to relieve stress. Yoga and meditation are also excellent ways to bust stress and find balance. Step outside and savor the warm sun and fresh air. Enjoy a beautiful view or landscape. Experiment with your sense of smell. Breathe in the scent of fresh flowers or coffee beans, or savor a scent that reminds you of a favorite vacation, such as sunscreen or a seashell.
Close your eyes and picture a peaceful place. Pamper yourself. Make yourself a steaming cup of tea, give yourself a neck or shoulder massage. Soak in a hot bath or shower. Your brain still needs time to recover and rebuild connections that changed while you were addicted. During this rebuild, drug cravings can be intense. You can support your continued recovery by avoiding people, places, and situations that trigger your urge to use:.
Step away from your friends who use. Surround yourself with people who support your sobriety, not those who tempt you to slip back into old, destructive habits. Avoid bars and clubs. Drugs are often readily available and the temptation to use can be overpowering. Also avoid any other environments and situations that you associate with drug use. Be upfront about your history of drug use when seeking medical treatment.
If you need a medical or dental procedure done, be upfront and find a provider who will work with you in either prescribing alternatives or the absolute minimum medication necessary.
You should never feel ashamed or humiliated about previous drug use or be denied medication for pain; if that happens, find another provider. Use caution with prescription drugs. If you were addicted to a prescription drug, such as an opioid painkiller, you may need to talk to your doctor about finding alternate ways to manage pain. Drugs with a high abuse potential include painkillers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medication.
Get involved in a distracting activity. Read, see friends, go to a movie, immerse yourself in a hobby, hike, or exercise. Talk it through. Talk to friends or family members about craving when it occurs. Talking can be very helpful in pinpointing the source of the craving. Also, talking about craving often helps to discharge and relieve the feeling and will help restore honesty in your relationship. Craving is nothing to feel bad about. Challenge and change your thoughts.
When experiencing a craving, many people have a tendency to remember only the positive effects of the drug and forget the negative consequences. Sometimes it is helpful to have these consequences listed on a small card that you keep with you. Urge surf. Many people try to cope with their urges by toughing it out. But some cravings are too strong to ignore. The only thing about routine when we were using or drinking was getting high and drunk.
Daily structure and routines can help us set our day off right and it can help us be more productive and happier. Being free from worry and knowing how your day will mostly go helps you focus on the things you want to accomplish. Achieving goals helps you feel fulfilled and gives you more self-confidence. Getting stuff done turns into a mantra. You feel better, more productive and you want to contribute more to the world.
While goals and work ethic increase, your relationships with friends and family members will get better too. With a sobriety program similar to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, you have started reconstructing your relationships. All of these characteristics and promises of recovery seem extravagant. But they are not. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If you are trying to maintain abstinence from alcohol or drugs over a long period of time, it is important to develop a drug-free lifestyle in all aspects of your life—at home, at work and during your leisure hours.
If you sought treatment from a professional rehab program for your alcohol or drug problem, one of the most important objectives of your continuing or follow-up care is to help you learn to replace your previous destructive behaviors with more healthy and productive alternatives.
One of the first steps in developing a drug-free lifestyle is to avoid those people who were directly involved in your former drinking or drug-using lifestyle—those who helped you get drugs, use drugs or were your drinking buddies. Many addicts find that in order to develop a substance-free lifestyle, they must develop new friendships , social patterns, and leisure activities. Your rehab counselor will try to help you identify drug-free supportive friends and family members and encourage you to improve those relationships and participate in recreational activities with them, to replace the time that you spent drug-seeking and using.
If you do not have drug-free friends or loved ones, your counselor will encourage you to become involved in new social groups and make new, supportive friends. Another important aspect of developing a drug-free lifestyle is to develop a structured daily schedule that you can consistently follow. Structure and organization in your life can be your best friends in recovery, while a chaotic and disorganized lifestyle can be your enemy.
In the maintaining abstinence phase of your recovery, it is important not to abandon that structured schedule or deviate from it on a regular basis. While maintaining your sobriety remains a high priority in your life, in order to develop a long-term drug-free lifestyle, it is helpful to identify larger goals for your future.
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