Recovery is no longer just about using drugs, alcohol or other psychotropic substances. It’s about rebuilding relationships and discovering the opportunities that come your way. During recovery, you can progress to a fulfilling life of hope and potential. However, you must have gone through treatment or some kind of recovery program. So many people have different reasons why they abuse any kind of substance.
The Fear
The fear of losing everything and disappointing your loved one is often the trigger that allows a person suffering from an addiction to take charge of their problem. Taking the time to regularly see what you can be thankful for can help minimize negative thoughts that can often lead to submersion, anxiety, or triggering thoughts.
The Changes
There would be changes in groups of people’s habits and a distance from the family nucleus. Addiction means access to certain substances, often illegal. Since you don’t buy cocaine at the local convenience store, you have to develop new contacts, form connections outside your usual circle and sometimes go to places different from where you used to go. At the same time, there will be a distance from the family and also from friends. Remoteness is usually caused by two factors that go hand in hand: the shame of addiction and the possibility of consuming out of sight of some people. Obviously, some legal substances, such as alcohol, or gambling addiction, for example, do not require illegal supply channels.
The Difficulty
The hardest part for overcoming an addiction is weaning, but with the encouragement of the treatment specialists and the nurses at a recovery center, you can manage to stay strong and defeat your greatest demons. The addict will benefit from the excellence of the recovery center’s meals and physical activity, which could play a big role in the success of the addict’s stay, as the addict will be able to focus on the positive aspect of the treatment and eliminate negative thoughts with the help of sport.
The Process
There is no shame in suffering from an addiction. You are not alone. Ask for help now. Most recovery centers will welcome you as they do others: without judgment and with the goal of helping you regain control of your life. People have different ways of recovering and the process depends on the individual. Once the process is chosen, it is essential to stay focused on the end goal of recovery. Over time, you will find that certain practices were useful in almost all recovery efforts.
Prioritize Recovery
To get rid of an addiction, you often have to adopt a whole new way of life. It is recommended that people who have completed residential, intensive outpatient, or partial hospitalization treatment complete a follow-up plan with their advisor or coordinator of the alumni group. For individuals completing treatment at a facility, this follow-up program often includes support of various kinds.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
- Call a friend or ally for recovery to share their successes
- Spend a few minutes each night remembering three things you’re grateful for
- Perform a random act of kindness, volunteer in the community, or serve others within a recovery community
Avoid Dating
A dinner date or a BBQ with friends are occasions when you will be asked “so, what are the good things going on in your life?” The person trying to hide an addiction will quickly realize that the best way to avoid these questions or get bogged down in lies is simply not to be there. Most addicts will pretend to have too much work, a start of the flu, a headache, very plausible excuses, but which come back every time, until the moment when they simply end up not being invited anymore.
Getting Help
There are many other ways in which an addicted person can strive during recovery. However, some will be difficult to unmask, others will be easy to conceal. In the end, none of these attempts can last forever and, ultimately, will only have served to give the problem more time to grow. However, with the help of a good counselor or treatment specialist, it will be easier to thrive during recovery without the need of hiding. Read more to find out how you can thrive during recovery.
