Sustaining recovery is a balance, but there are many ways to stay focused and motivated
Recovery is an ongoing journey that requires consistent effort to navigate personal challenges. However, there are ways for those struggling with addiction to stay motivated and focused on maintaining their sobriety. Here are a few ways to help you stay on track and maintain long-term sobriety.
1. Identify and Manage Your Triggers: Knowing your triggers and learning how to manage them is critical to maintaining sobriety. Consider which emotions, social situations, thoughts, or memories typically cause negative reactions.
Common triggers include stress, anxiety, depression, arguments, financial struggles, relationship issues, and more. Healthy coping strategies to deal with triggers vary from journaling, taking a walk, deep breathing, and exercising.
2. Build a Reliable Support System: It is essential to surround yourself with people who understand addiction and can offer their support and encouragement without judgment.
These people can include family members, friends, support group members, your therapist, your sponsor, or whoever you are comfortable talking to about your struggles. Leaning on trusted loved ones helps you feel a sense of accountability and motivation.
3. Discover New Hobbies: People in recovery often realize how much their lives revolved around their addiction is the new amount of free time they have. There are plenty of fulfilling hobbies to help make good use of this time like journaling, painting, reading, exercising, cooking, biking, learning a musical instrument, gardening, and more. Find one you enjoy and feel excited about doing.
4. Stay committed to treatment and counseling: You don’t have to go through recovery and healing alone. Following the help of your doctor and counselor is crucial for learning how to address underlying mental health problems, developing coping strategies, building connections, and having someone to talk to about your journey.
5. Practice Self-Care: Practicing self-care is another great way to achieve long-term sobriety. It’s important to take time for yourself.Self-care activities can include meditating, journaling, eating healthy foods, going for walks, taking a bubble bath, trying yoga and or whatever activity makes you feel relaxed.
6. Create a Recovery Tool Kit: Making yourself a “Recovery Tool Kit” is a way to plan ahead and includes different ways to cope with triggers and prevent relapse. Items for the kit should have special sentimental value to you.
They can include photos of loved ones who keep you motivated to stay sober, a journal with important messages, a piece of meaningful jewelry, or other items that remind you why you want to stay sober.
These are just a few ways to stay motivated and avoid a return to use. The key is finding a mix of options that mean something to you.
Discover How BrightView Can Help You Through Recovery
Our teams at BrightView, understand the challenges that follow the first step towards long-term recovery. To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one start the process at one of our outpatient MAT clinics near you, call us today at 888.501.9865.