Recovering from substance and drug abuse is not a walk in the park. Individuals who have already conquered their drug abuse habits understand what it takes for one to get clean. The majority of patients trying to recover from drug abuse relapse in the first weeks after quitting. Ask yourself, are you strong enough to avoid having a relapse? This article shares tips on how to stay sober during your drug and alcohol abuse recovery program.
What Does it Mean to Be Sober?
Sobriety is having a clear mind free from any substances. Although the word fits different contexts, it refers to total abstinence and not introducing drugs to your system. Most recovery programs enforce a 12-step guide to help you break the dependence on the substance and start reversing its effects on your body.
Tips For Maintaining Sobriety
Identify Your Triggers
It is essential to understand your triggers in your recovery process to help prevent relapsing. External triggers are elements in your environment that contribute to your use, including friends, situations, and even places. Your feelings, emotions, and thoughts are potential internal triggers you also need to pay close attention to.
Create an effective plan to avoid these triggers once you identify them. Common triggers include;
- Emotional distress
- Relationship troubles
- Environmental cues
- Stress
Determine Warning Signs for Relapse
Every patient recovering from drug and alcohol abuse should know that relapses occur. If you do not recognize its warning signs in your drug situation, it can easily creep up and awaken your destructive habit. A relapse can begin weeks before you even start drinking or smoking again.
There are three phases of relapse, and they include emotional, mental, and physical relapse. Take your time to identify relapse warning signs to complete your recovery program successfully.
Prepare for Withdrawals
Most drug and alcohol recovery patients are unaware of post-acute withdrawal syndrome. It refers to when your withdrawal symptoms persist past your detox period. Your moods are most affected in this stage, and you may become more anxious, tired, depressed, and experience sleep problems.
PAWS last anywhere between six months to two years after quitting; it all depends on your level of dependency. Preparing for these symptoms means you will understand more about what your body is going through and streamline your recovery. If they become prolonged, you should consider visiting Impact Recovery (https://impactrecoverycenter.net/) for professional help.
Avoiding Old Habits
One of the most basic approaches to maintaining a sober life after recovery is avoiding your old routines. It would be best to consider changing several aspects of your life since you do not want to expose yourself to potential abuse triggers. You are most likely to relapse if you follow the same routine, friends, and places as when you had a drug problem.
Find Support
Going through your drug and abuse recovery process alone is not easy. It always helps to have guys you trust on the journey to recovery. You can consider joining support groups that offer a platform for recovering patients to interact and take positive actions in their lives.
Your family and loved ones will also prove essential in achieving full recovery. Most patients tend to drift apart from their families after abusing drugs. Re-establishing the lost connection will help you develop a healthier lifestyle and keep you away from situations that might expose you to drug abuse.
We understand that recovering and maintaining sobriety is an uphill task for drug abuse patients. The tips shared in our article aim to help ease your recovery process and provide you with more information on how to avoid relapsing. You will find it easier to stay sober by adhering to the notes shared.