The path to recovery from addiction is long and unique for everyone. Once you finish treatment, you may find it difficult to stay sober effectively. Whether you’re around family and friends that like to drink or find yourself in situations where past substances are around, it’s a constant battle.
Luckily, there are ways that you can effectively stay sober after treatment. If you’re looking to keep on the path of sobriety, here are seven different ways to help you stay sober.
1. Build Up A Support Network
One of the most effective ways to stay sober is to surround yourself with people who support you. Everyone needs a strong support system in their life. But if you’re in recovery, it is even more crucial that you have great people around you.
Your support network can be made up of family members and friends that have been there on your journey to sobriety. These people should know how to interact with you and help if there are substances around.
Your support network should also be able to talk to you about your sobriety. If you have friends that are also sober, you can invite one another to social gatherings. This way, you can both hold each other accountable and more effectively stay sober.
2. Join A Support Group
Even if you have a strong support system of friends and family, you may still feel isolated in your sobriety. If this is the case, it is in your best interest to find a support group to join.
Others in a support group will understand what you are going through. You can all keep each other accountable while you stay sober as well. Your friends and family may never understand what you are going through like those in a support group.
You can work with those in your group to set goals and celebrate milestones as well. Support groups are often led by professionals that can help you stay sober more effectively.
3. Find Meaningful Activities
Instead of going out and getting drinks, it’s a great idea to find new activities you enjoy. Trying out different activities allows you the opportunity to find new passions and create healthy habits in your sobriety.
Maybe you used to play a sport. You can try joining a community league. Or maybe you love music. There’s plenty of time to learn an instrument.
Having meaningful activities in your life will lead you to new friends too. Filling time with activities rather than substances can help you more effectively stay sober.
4. Create New Routines
After finishing treatment and your recovery process, it can be easy to fall back into old routines. Instead of getting back into bad habits, making a new routine can help you stay more effectively sober. You can fill your new routine with healthy habits to replace bad habits that could lead to relapses.
Some habits you could filter into your new routine include exercising and cooking well-balanced meals. You can also take any new activities you’ve tried and put them into your routine. These can replace times where you may have gone out with drinking buddies.
5. Know Your Triggers
Everyone focusing on sobriety will have different things that may trigger the urge to use a substance.
Some common triggers include:
- Emotional Distress
- Stress
- Financial or Career Issues
- Relationship Problems
While these can be common triggers for most, they can be more troubling to those working on sobriety. While staying sober, it is crucial to identify when these triggers may become a problem. The best thing you can do is create a plan to deal with these triggers if they ever arise.
6. Know The Signs Of Relapse
For someone in recovery, relapse can sneak up seemingly out of nowhere. Relapse can happen when you don’t know the signs to look out for.
Some common signs of relapse include:
- Returning to old, addictive thinking patterns
- Engaging in self-defeating behaviors
- Being irresponsible
- Seeking out places where drugs or alcohol are readily available
If these signs creep up on you, it is important to catch yourself and figure out how to get help. Whether you lean on your support system, new healthy habits, or activities, there are healthy ways to cope and avoid relapsing if you know the signs.
7. Learn How To Stay Calm
One of the easiest ways to slip back into an addictive substance is to use it to curb stress or anxiety. Learning how to keep yourself calm is a great way to stay sober effectively. It is normal to slip off of the path of sobriety after treatment and recovery.
If you find yourself slipping into old habits or having addictive thoughts, the best thing to do is stay calm. You will get through this. Recovery is a process, and there will be some days that are more difficult than others. Learning how to keep yourself calm through rough patches will help you more effectively stay sober.
Conclusion
Staying sober isn’t always easy after treatment. In a world where alcohol and drugs are commonly used and readily available, it may feel impossible to stay sober. But staying sober effectively is possible.
Using these seven tips and tricks can help you effectively stay sober and stick to your path of recovery. Sobriety is possible after treatment and recovery, it might just take some extra work in your day-to-day life to effectively stay sober.
