May 20, 2024
The path of sobriety is both challenging and rewarding. You’ll have control over your life again and improve your and your family’s lives for the better. The road to getting better can be trying, but not impossible. Using exercise for stress relief, following therapists’ advice, and the below methods will help make the journey to sobriety go more smoothly.
Set goals that you’re confident are achievable. Once you reach those goals, then aim for different ones. While it may seem intimidating for people after they first enter treatment, goal setting is valuable because:
Many individuals who struggle with substance abuse have low self-esteem. With the help of therapists, setting and achieving your goals will bring great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
No one can come out of rehab and is instantly able to enter bars or buy alcohol. It’s a gradual process for everyone. Setting up goals reminds us not to be too hard on ourselves. Patients will always start small and then work up to larger goals. If they encounter setbacks, then the recovering addicts can look back at the goals they accomplished and know that they’ve experienced a significant change from meeting those goals.
Substance abuse can cloud people’s sense of purpose and discipline. By setting goals, the person is able to take back their old life, one step at a time. Even the plans that seem small, like attending the week’s treatment sessions, can have a positive impact on your and your family’s lives.
Getting over an addiction is difficult. During recovery, we know the importance of removing the issue from our lives. But our minds will wander and try to push us into repeating the cycle of abuse. If you notice that your emotions and thoughts are luring you to reabuse, then avert your focus to something else.
What we think about ourselves and others determines how we carry ourselves in the world and how effectively we manage life. However, our thoughts don’t have to be our main driving force.
Most people give little attention to the thoughts that fill their heads. Try imaging them as background noise. Unimportant and pointless sound. You can also try meditating when the thoughts surface. Practicing meditation will work to clear the mind against thoughts and distractions.
Remember, change doesn’t happen overnight, so you must remain patient with yourself. Don’t rush. Give yourself time and stay positive. Work through difficulties and use self-affirming words often. This will make sobriety easier and more rewarding.
There will be times when your mind will produce negative thoughts. However, you can do your best to notice these and replace the thoughts with positive ones. For instance, if the notion, “I’m never going to be able to stay sober,” pops up in your head, then replace them with, “I can stay sober for today, and that will help me feel more confident tomorrow.”
Our thoughts are a driving force behind our feelings and actions. It’s easy to confuse our thoughts with reality. Replacing negative ones with positives will help us ignore the false assumptions and misconceptions we’re prone to have.
Easy sobriety doesn’t just include removing the substance from your life.
Being open to new things is an important part of self-empowerment. For addicts to succeed, they must do more than stop addictive behavior. They need to slowly add small changes to their lifestyles.
Doing the same things and going to the same places puts you at risk of relapsing. Try new hobbies, and visit different places. One popular option is to jog each morning. It’ll allow you to gain dopamine and reduce cravings for substances. You’ll also need to sleep early to wake up for jogs. Therefore reducing late-night outings and possible triggers.
Daily routines offer balance and predictability, which are essential in maintaining a sustained recovery. Some benefits of adhering to a schedule include the following:
Many individuals go back to addiction due to stress or boredom. You’ll have something to occupy your time by progressing each day through scheduled activities, even if the schedule calls for a short nap.
A scheduled sleep time will not just improve your health but will also help you avoid late-night partying. Also, regular sleep time will train your body to become tired during the schedule given. This improves overall sleep quality.
Sticking to a schedule will keep you on track at home and work. This leads to a sense of purpose and accomplishment that has the bonus of increasing self-confidence.
Scheduling will help you prioritize your recovery as part of a routine. By prioritizing your recovery meetings and outpatient therapy, you’ll slowly get better, and the path to sobriety will become easier.
Sobriety gives individuals a chance to improve their lives. No one changes overnight. So be patient and kind to yourself. As each day goes by, you become another day sober. Even if a setback happens, it doesn’t mean that you failed. You’re still ahead of where you started. And despite the hitch, you can still improve.
By Jennifer Roy of AURLEAF – with thanks.
