Substance abusers often relapse multiple times after receiving treatment for their drug or alcohol use. They encounter situations they do not know how to handle or become exhausted and look for a means to relax and escape from the stresses of everyday life. It needs to be remembered that recovery is an ongoing process and involves many steps. However, there are certain things an addict can do to reduce their risk of turning to substances once again. Following are five ways to avoid relapsing into old habits.
Self-Care
Addicts need to learn self-care and quit being so hard on themselves. This is often one of the hardest things for an addict to grasp during the recovery process but is of great importance. Addicts who grew up with a parent who was a substance abuser find this to be one of the most difficult parts of their recovery also, due to the way they were raised. The addict needs to recognize he or she is not being selfish by requiring time for him or herself. Actually, taking time to do things one loves ensures the addict does not become resentful or exhausted and turn to the substance of choice as a means of escape or to relax.
Find New Friends
It’s difficult to make new friends yet this is something every addict must do. People who abuse substances tend to spend time together and a recovering addict will find the temptation to spend time with former friends is great. However, this increases the risk of relapse because it’s easy to say he or she will only use one time. One time is enough to bring the addiction back in full force. For this reason, every addict needs to find new friends, new interests, and new hobbies to occupy their time during recovery.
Learn From Setbacks
Any time an addict does relapse, he or she needs to immediately return to the steps of recovery and determine what went wrong. It’s easy to simply say it was a lapse in judgment, but the addict needs to stop and consider why he or she was tempted to use once again. Doing so helps to prevent future relapses and get the addict back on track with regard to recovering from the addiction.
Seek Help for Co-Existing Disorders
Numerous addicts suffer from a mental illness. In order to obtain the highest level of recovery, the person must seek treatment for any co-existing disorders. Substance abuse is often the result of the user self-medicating as opposed to seeking treatment for the mental issue. With the right care, an addict can get help for both problems and increase his or her odds of long term sobriety. To learn more about how people self-medicate, visit this blog.
Continuing Treatment
Individuals who are incarcerated and receive substance abuse treatment during their time behind bars along with those that complete drug rehab needs continuity of care once they reenter society. While countless problems are addressed during the treatment or incarceration, new ones may arise once the person resumes their everyday life. This continuing care provides them with a place to turn to learn how to handle these situations without resorting to substance use and abuse.
Long-term recovery is possible. However, substance abusers must be aware of the stages of recovery and how to increase their chances of success. Above are five ways to do so and there are others. The more tools a person has at their disposal, the easier the process becomes. Learn more today so you can live a happy, healthy life, one that is free of drugs and alcohol.
Self care is important, prevention is key, also a realistic goal too.