Life after Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Drug and alcohol rehab facilities help thousands of individuals on a daily basis recover from their substance abuse problems in a healthy, constructive fashion. One of the largest reasons they're able to be as successful as they are is due in part to the isolated, structured environment that treatment is preformed in. That said, reacclimating to life after treatment has always been a large hurdle for recovering addicts to overcome once they are thrust back into the environment they used to use in and are now in control of managing their own time. What should a person in this situation do to maximize their chances at maintaining their sobriety?
For starters, recognize that your completion of drug and alcohol rehab was a huge accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself for taking control of your life. Maintaining your sobriety begins with valuing it and a large part of that begins with recognizing how far you've come and continuing to visualize where you want to go. Setting goals can play an important role in that process. Think about all of the things you wanted to do but never did because you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For example, did you want to go back to school? Did you want to run a marathon? Did you want to take a cooking class? Now that you have completed drug and alcohol rehab and are no longer in active addiction, your world can be as open as you want it to be to achieve any past goals or dreams you once had.
While attending meetings should still be a part of your routine after leaving drug and alcohol rehab, you're bound to have considerably more free time on your hands than you did previously. How can you fill this time in a way that's the most beneficial to your recovery? One of the hardest things for recovering addicts to learn is how to have fun sober. So many of us counted on drugs and alcohol to not only be our fun, but also our escape from the stresses, problems and pain in our lives. Not knowing how to spend our time productively can lead to isolation and boredom, and boredom is a high risk factor for relapse. Finding new, sober friends is incredibly important. Regular attendance at meetings and connecting with your sponsor are the quickest ways to start meeting new people.
For starters, recognize that your completion of drug and alcohol rehab was a huge accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself for taking control of your life. Maintaining your sobriety begins with valuing it and a large part of that begins with recognizing how far you've come and continuing to visualize where you want to go. Setting goals can play an important role in that process. Think about all of the things you wanted to do but never did because you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For example, did you want to go back to school? Did you want to run a marathon? Did you want to take a cooking class? Now that you have completed drug and alcohol rehab and are no longer in active addiction, your world can be as open as you want it to be to achieve any past goals or dreams you once had.
While attending meetings should still be a part of your routine after leaving drug and alcohol rehab, you're bound to have considerably more free time on your hands than you did previously. How can you fill this time in a way that's the most beneficial to your recovery? One of the hardest things for recovering addicts to learn is how to have fun sober. So many of us counted on drugs and alcohol to not only be our fun, but also our escape from the stresses, problems and pain in our lives. Not knowing how to spend our time productively can lead to isolation and boredom, and boredom is a high risk factor for relapse. Finding new, sober friends is incredibly important. Regular attendance at meetings and connecting with your sponsor are the quickest ways to start meeting new people.