7 Tips to Help You Stay Sober After Addiction Treatment
Addiction treatment is meant to help you kick substance abuse and stay sober. However, many people find that after addiction treatment, they’re more likely to relapse than before they entered rehab. Even though you may have completed a 30-day program or even 90 days of inpatient rehab, it takes time for the brain and body to fully recover from years of drug use.
If you’ve been released from treatment or are thinking about going into recovery soon, there are steps you can take now to help increase your odds of staying sober long-term.
1. Learn to accept your feelings — all of them, including negative ones.
It’s not easy to accept your feelings, but it is an essential first step in recovery. When you allow yourself to experience all your emotions and learn how to cope with them, you are no longer holding onto the past.
2. Talk about your feelings about change with someone you trust.
Talking about the changes in your life and how they make you feel will allow both yourself and others around you to understand what is going on with you as a person, which can help guide decisions as well as provide encouragement when needed. If there are any emotions that seem overwhelming or difficult to cope with, talking them out will allow others who care about you to point out ways that they might be able to help reduce these feelings over time. This could mean going to therapy or just talking about it with other people in AA meetings or support groups made up of friends or family members who have been through similar things.
3. Keep busy and develop new interests outside of drugs and alcohol.
Addiction is a coping mechanism that helps people deal with stressful situations, but it can also be used to avoid them altogether. Now that you’ve decided to deal with stress in a healthier way, it’s time to find new healthy ways to deal with stress and boredom. Without new interests, you can confidently turn your back on your old habits when you’re feeling overwhelmed by life or bored at home alone during the day.
You might be surprised at how much time you have on your hands after treatment! It can feel overwhelming at first if this is the case, but instead of letting it get the best of you, use this extra free time as an opportunity to create new hobbies and activities that will keep your mind occupied throughout each day (and night).
4. Try not to keep alcohol in the house if you are trying not to drink.
One of the best ways to stay sober after addiction treatment is to not keep alcohol in your house or even around you. If you do have alcohol in the house, don’t buy it for anyone else or for any reason.
The best way to get rid of empty bottles from holiday parties or other events is to take them to a recycling center in your area. This will ensure they don’t end up in the wrong hands, including yours. Or you can do what I do: say in the invitation that if they bring alcohol, they must bring it with them. It works every time!
5. Be open with family and friends about how they can help you stay sober.
You might be tempted to keep your struggles with sobriety under wraps, but don’t worry: the people who love and care about you will still love and care about you after a slip-up or relapse. In fact, telling them what happened will make you both feel less, and chances are, they could offer some great suggestions for how to get back on track.
Asking for help doesn’t have to involve a big speech or lengthy explanation; instead, try simply saying something like “I need some support right now” or “I’m struggling with this.” If someone asks why or presses further for details (which may happen if they’re concerned), explain what’s going on as best as possible without making excuses (i.e., “I drank too much last night” instead of “My boss was being an asshole”). This can lead to an honest conversation where both parties work together toward common goals: yours being sobriety, theirs being helping you.
6. Keep a list of things you have been successful at doing sober and read it when you need the motivation to stay clean and sober.
Keep track of all the successes that you are having in sobriety. Your list will help remind you of how far you have come, which can be very motivating when trying to avoid temptation or making decisions about whether to use again. It is also important to write down how each accomplishment made you feel so that if times get tough while staying sober, this reminder will help lift your spirits!
You may already be able to hold onto these feelings just by thinking back on them (or maybe even sharing them with someone who was there), but having them written down is helpful because then they’re more concrete and tangible; it’s easier for us as humans to remember concrete facts than abstract ones (i.e., thoughts). This can also give some perspective: If someone else were looking over the list of things accomplished while staying sober and seeing how much progress has been made since being in recovery, it would probably make them feel proud!
7. Learn what triggers might lead to a relapse and figure out how to avoid them.
Being able to recognize your own triggers and avoid them is one of the most important skills for staying sober after treatment. Whether it’s a certain person, location, or situation that puts you at risk for relapsing, being aware of what your triggers are will help you avoid them in the future.
Here are some examples of common triggers:
- Being around drugs and alcohol
- Feeling lonely or depressed
- Being bored with life and not having anything to do
Thankfully there are many ways we can reach out for help that’s available for anyone in need at any time.
Many of these tips are similar and involve developing a support system of people who can help you stay sober after treatment. Having a network of friends, family members, co-workers, or professionals who will support you when times get tough is crucial to staying sober after treatment. It’s equally important to finding things that bring you joy by finding new hobbies and activities.
We can also always call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (988), or chat online on their website. There are also other hotlines, including one just for veterans who may be having problems with addiction or mental health.
Here’s a list of some others:
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline is 1–800–662-HELP (4357) or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U).
- Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1, chat online, or text “838255.”
- Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org/find-aa
- Narcotics Anonymous https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/
Final thoughts on how to stay sober after addiction treatment.
The most important thing to remember when you leave treatment is that your recovery is a lifelong process. You’ve made the first big step towards staying sober, but there will be bumps along the way and times when it feels like you want to go back to using. It’s important not to beat yourself up over these moments because they are part of the process and can lead us toward recovery by helping us identify areas where we need more support or different strategies for coping with life events in a healthier way than substance use would have allowed before treatment. Remember, you are not alone!
Read more on Medium about sobriety by Dara Laine Murray:
