If you’re struggling to maintain your
sobriety, you aren’t alone. There are millions of fighters just
like you working toward reclaiming their lives from drugs and
alcohol. There are a few common traits that many successful
recovering
addicts share. Keep reading to find out what they are
and how you can follow in their footsteps.
They establish new patterns
You can’t continue to live your life
the same was you did when you were using. You must change and adapt
to your newfound sobriety. Consider a career change; many recovering
addicts find they have more success by starting their own business.
One career that is easy to enter is dog walking. As a dog
walker, you’ll reap many rewards including getting
to spend time with dogs, which can actually boost your recovery
efforts and stave off depression.
Dogs have been used as part of a
treatment
plan for users as young as 11 and come with the added
benefit of helping you stay physically active. Plus, being with
canines for any amount of time can lower your stress and anxiety
levels.
Other positive patterns to adopt
include eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and keeping your
home tidy. Sometimes, establishing new patterns involve
re-establishing old ones. For example, if you allowed your auto
insurance to lapse during this time, you would need to take the
appropriate steps to get things back on the right track, which might
include approaching your old company or finding
a new one altogether. Of course, this applies to other
things besides auto insurance — the important part is identifying
them and making changes.
They have a supportive network and
aren’t afraid to use it
Here is a tough truth to handle: Your
user friends aren’t really your friends — at least not while they
continue to drag you down a path toward substance abuse. It takes
time, but you can create a new network of healthy friendships,
counselors and other support persons that you can lean on without
judgment. But making new friends as an adult, and especially as a
recovering addict/alcoholic, is difficult. Inc. asserts there
five
types of people you need in your life: a leader, a
storyteller, a listener, someone who forces you to think, and someone
who never lets life get them down. Here are tips
on making new friends from someone who’s been in your shoes.
They are confident, but not cocky
The difference between cocky and
confident when you’re in recovery is that confidence helps you win
the battle and cockiness makes you weak. Learn how to believe in
yourself but never forget that you are human and you have weaknesses.
Unfortunately, years of abuse have likely shattered your
self-confidence
and taken a toll on your self-esteem. You can reclaim this aspect of
yourself by remembering past successes and making — and meeting —
small goals. Make lists every morning of what you’ll do that day.
Always include one bullet point that specifically reminds you to stay
clean. Check off each accomplishment no matter how small and keep a
visible file of your victories to remind you that sobriety is
possible.
They recognize their triggers
Triggers are the people, places, and
actions that make you want to use. It might be anything from
stress
to an unkind family member — or driving by the local bar. When
you’re in recovery, you must learn to avoid these triggers or find
ways to cope with them that don’t involve relapse. Take a new route
home, try yoga, or call a trusted confidant in your support group.
Huffington Post asserts that
unhealthy
relationships, even those bonded in blood, should be
severed when they impact important areas of life and there is no area
more important than your sobriety.
Recovery is a long, hard road but you
can smooth some of the bumps by changing your daily patterns, keeping
close friends and family (and leaving behind toxic relationships),
and finding the confidence to do it all again tomorrow. Take things
one moment at a time if you must and celebrate each of them.
Image via Pixabay
Adam’s
mission is aligned with Addiction Hub’s to help people find support
with issues relating to addiction.
