Rebuilding a life post-addiction and finding ways to inhabit this new world can be the toughest part of recovery. This is because the individual needs to commit themselves to meet their sobriety goals. If you’re a recovering addict, here are four things you can do to rebuild your life after addiction.
1. Seek professional help.
Seeking treatment for your addiction is the first step in your journey to recovery. Addiction treatment programs work best as treatment options because they offer you a clean environment that is safe from alcohol and drugs. The environment that these treatment programs provide allows you to focus on your recovery by providing you with the tools you need to cope with daily challenges.
As you pursue your sobriety, be sure to stay up to date with your medical prescriptions, if you have any. If you’re on Meterol, for instance, be sure to let your addiction program supervisor know when you need a refill. If you’re looking to save some cash on your Meterol prescription, CheapoMeds is a prescription referral service that can help you find a safer and more affordable deal on your prescription. You can send them your prescription order either by email, phone, or fax but in some cases they can contact your doctor directly to seek authorization for your new prescription. Most orders take about 12 days to ship, and once your order is ready, you’ll receive an e-mail notification to confirm this.
2. Find new interests.
Now that you are on the path to recovery, the vacuum left by addiction can be a hard one to fill. If there’s a new skill you’ve always wanted to learn or a short course you’ve always wanted to take, like “What you should know if you’re new to investing,“ for instance, now is a good time to explore these interests.
Getting into a regular exercise regimen can be great for your mental health. If it’s your first time exercising, find an outdoor activity you enjoy, and build from that. Going to the gym, swimming, walking, or cycling are activities you can get involved in to help you make a new group of friends dedicated to living healthy lifestyles.
If you haven’t any idea of what sober fun activities are available in your area, addiction support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), SMART Recovery, and Narcotics Anonymous can have some fun sober activity resources handy. Maintaining friendships with sober people can also boost your recovery process. They can help you lean into a sober lifestyle by creating healthy distractions, especially when boredom kicks in and the temptation to use is strong.
3. Work on your relationships.
Addiction puts a strain on all types of relationships and can significantly damage the individual’s social health. Once a substance user advances from occasional substance use to addiction, their priorities shift to obtaining the addictive substance. The ecstasy that the addictive substance provides is often hard to match, and their relationships may suffer as a result of this.
What’s more, addiction can make it difficult for the individual to maintain trust and communication with their friends and loved ones, and these are important for any relationship to thrive. Understanding that addiction impacts relationships differently and taking accountability for how your addiction affected your family members and those close to you is a good place to start.
Treatment options like individual therapy, family counseling, and couples counseling can help you all develop the tools to communicate and mend your relationships.
4. Find ways to stay social.
Allow yourself to develop a friendship with yourself without the distraction of addictive substances. Once you work this muscle for a while, and you feel ready, then you can consider dating. Getting back into the dating scene after you’ve been away from it for a while can feel awkward and intimidating at first, but there are ways to work around it.
Online dating is a great way to meet new people and ease into the dating scene. It can give you the time to really get to know the other person, as you slowly open yourself up to romantic possibilities. Dating while sober can be a task in itself because a majority of social activities tend to have alcohol. If you’re going on a blind date, be upfront about your sobriety so that the other person can know to consider sober date ideas. Some fun sober activities for couples to do on the first date can be playing board games at the park, planning a game night, going to a live comedy show, visiting the local museums, and attending a picnic—to mention a few.
If you’re getting first date anxiety, look up your blind date on social media beforehand to eliminate any red flags. Keep an open mind, have fun, and don’t overthink things.
Recovering from an addiction may be one of the hardest things you can ever do. Your recovery journey won’t be an easy or quick process, and it will require a lifelong dedication to maintaining a sober lifestyle. If you’ve started your sobriety journey at a rehab center and are worried about what you’ll do once your treatment period comes to an end, get in touch with your treatment provider for guidance.
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