The road to freedom from dependency on drugs or alcohol is long and arduous. You have put in intense effort and determination to break addiction’s hold over your life. You might question, how long will this freedom last? Will you be able to avoid being one of the fifty to ninety percent of people who relapse? Here are four strategies to help you not become a statistic.
Balancing your lifestyle
Many going into treatment enjoy great success in battling their addictions. Being surrounded by supportive people who are encouraging your lifestyle change makes treatment seem easier. When you leave those environments the challenge to stay sober is greater.
Too many people who are treated for addiction go back to life as usual. This is counterproductive and causes many to fall back into old habits. Fight back by maintaining your new lifestyle. If you took up an exercise program, meditation, or some other form of recreation, then stay the course.
Urge management and coping strategies
The urge to use again can come at any time. Those without a strategy to overcome will find themselves constantly mulling the urge around in their minds. Urges can quickly turn into a full blown relapse. You need a strategy in place that will cut off your mulling episodes.
Here are some starter questions to help you develop some coping strategies. Is there something causing the urge? Can you change your environment, or distract yourself? Is there someone you can call who can help you walk through this?
Education and action plan
There are many factors involved in why people relapse. Treatment centers do a marvelous job at helping people understand addiction and giving them some tips to prevent relapse. However, different people have different triggers. You must constantly educate yourself on what gives you the desire to use and develop a custom action plan. This is a journey of self discovery. Your success in avoiding relapse will take hard work on your part.
Handling mistakes
The lie that many believe is one mistake determines the rest of your life. A person who has been sober for twenty years can have a full blown relapse be believing this lie. One mistake does not mean you have lost it all. Do not give yourself permission to make mistakes. Instead give yourself some grace if you falter. Your recovery does not end with one mistake. You just have to learn something from your failures until your recovery becomes something longterm.
The Springboard Center wants to change the way the Permian Basin and beyond approaches substance abuse. Our residential treatment programs offer an opportunity to restore the health and dignity of clients and their families. Call us today for information on our programs for addiction and alcoholism: (432) 620-0255
