• Address mental health issues. Mental health disorders affect some 42.5 million people in the United States, per the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. Many people are suffering from a mental health issue and don’t know it. When you’re choosing a rehab facility, opt for one that is staffed with competent and licensed psychology professionals that can screen for mental illness.Treating addiction and failing to treat mental illness is a recipe for disaster. Without learning how to handle your illness and getting the required medicated treatment, if necessary, you are likely to leave rehab ill-equipped for handling the symptoms that arise that may make you feel more inclined to use again in effort to dampen those symptoms. Among individuals with a mental health disorder, 29 percent are drug or alcohol abusers, according to Helpguide.
  • Participate in support groups. Support groups have long been held as a helpful and effective method of continued treatment for addicts. Attending meetings regularly can keep you focused on your recovery.
  • Avoid triggering situations. Sometimes it’s nothing more than watching a movie in which someone is getting high or drunk. Perhaps you pass by an old friend’s place on the way home one day, and you can’t help but recall the memories you have of using with them. Maybe it’s a certain bar that you used to go to regularly. When possible, avoid these triggering situations. Take a different route home that doesn’t involve passing by your old friend’s place or the bar. Choose entertainment that doesn’t feature substance use.In treatment, you’ll learn to recognize triggering situations and how to avoid them. Sometimes, these situations are unavoidable, and you’ll learn how to deal with those instances as well.
  • Keep busy. Staying busy sounds pretty easy, but for many addicts who are returning to a life of unemployment and burned bridges, it can be trying. According to The Fix, one in six unemployed individuals abuse drugs or alcohol. It’s important to fill your time with healthy, productive activities so you aren’t tempted to fill it with drugs and alcohol again.Going to the gym, making amends with family members you may have hurt in the past, and socializing with new, sober friends are all great ways to fill the time. Take up a new healthy hobby, like cooking, writing, or running. Consider joining sober activity groups where others are looking to have fun in a sober environment.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Step One

Step One “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [or other drugs]—that our lives had become unmanageable.” Keep in mind that we don’t just work the Steps once and then never return to them. Recovery is about continuously working the Steps. Each time you work a Step, you can gain more from it because of this new perspective. Step One asks us to admit powerlessness, which means acknowledging that we can’t stop at just one drink or hit. Others who use drugs or drink alcohol can stop if they get sick or it interferes with their family or work life. But those of us who have a substance use disorder can’t stop using even when we are faced with losing everything: our job, our family, our friends, our life. This is because we can’t control the addicted way our mind and body reacts to alcohol and other drugs. Once we understand that addiction is a disease, we’re no longer baffled by why we’re using. We can let go of shame and guilt and start to work toward our recovery. When we admit powerl...
Read more

step one

When we admit our powerlessness and the inability to manage our own lives, we open the door to recovery. No one could convince us that we were addicts. It is an admission that we had to make for ourselves. When some of us have doubts, we ask ourselves this question: "Can I control my use of any form of mind or mood-altering chemicals?" Most will see that control is impossible the moment it is suggested. Whatever the outcome, we find that we cannot control our using for any length of time. This would clearly suggest that an addict has no control over drugs. Powerlessness means using against our will. If we can't stop, how can we tell ourselves we are in control? The inability to stop using, even with the greatest willpower and the most sincere desire, is what we mean when we say, "We have absolutely no choice".  Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, Chapter 4/Step 1  Admitting powerlessness is absolutely essential to breaking the addiction cycle, which is made up of fi...
Read more

Lies

You cannot weave truth in a loom of lies. —Suzette Haden Elgin Before you admitted you were powerless, you may have created a false reality that enabled you to see yourself as you wanted to be and validated the lies you fabricated. The worse your addiction became, the more lies you may have told and the more you repressed the truth—until eventually the lies became the truth. Honesty is not simply the absence of lying, but the commitment to truthfulness. The program teaches you the difference between being honest and being rigorously honest. Admitting you are powerless over your addiction is being honest. But rigorous honesty means living each day with total awareness of what is true and what is untrue, and speaking always to the truth, no matter how painful. As you go to meetings, be inspired by the honesty of others. As you work with your sponsor, learn how to view your past actions and behaviors with an objective eye. As you read and reflect upon the teachings of the Big Book, gain a...
Read more