It may feel like it has been a lifetime as if it’s long overdue, but addiction recovery is a process. One that takes time, requires patience and a high level of commitment. Although a long road, it can be filled with many positive memories. The journey of rediscovering your sense of self and finding your place in the world can be a joyous one.
This process will take a lot of work, but if you take it one day at a time, you will be able to conquer all of the challenges that stand in your way. Sometimes self-recovery may seem like too daunting a task, in that event you can always try this.
This article will explore some essential recovery tools that will make your road to recovery a little more bearable.
1. Coping Mechanisms
Coping mechanisms are thoughts or behaviors that are employed to help deal with stressful situations. At the beginning of a recovery journey, you must develop or decide on a set of coping mechanisms that you will use throughout the road to recovery.
These skills will help you on the days where everything feels like a trigger when your cravings overwhelm you and you can see no hope. They are meant to help you get past these bad situations and return your body and mind to a healthy and calm state.
This recovery tool needs to be uniquely tailored to yourself. Common coping skills include:
- Talking to a confidant
- Finding a hobby
It may take some time to establish an effective set for yourself, but once you do it will be extremely beneficial to your journey.
2. Find A Strong Support System
In your days of being an addict, it is common to have developed a circle of “friends” with whom you used to partake in substance abuse.
When you decide to get sober, your circle needs to change. You need to surround yourself with folks who encourage positive behavior and support your sobriety. They will be the support system you need to lean on in your bad days, who will not chastise you when your mood swings flare, people who are generally positive and uplifting.
A strong support system is an essential recovery tool. They will not only help you get through the bad days, but they will also help you transition back into the world as you find your legs again. Yes, the road will be long, but nobody said it needs or should be walked alone.
You may encounter this network through support groups, your rehab center, therapy, or your 12 step meetings.
3. A Good Diet
A factor that is sometimes forgotten in other areas, eating a well-balanced diet is an undervalued component of total wellness. Your mental and physical health will greatly improve if you eat appropriately and invest in the right nutrients.
Most addicts become severely emaciated as a result of their addiction’s unbalanced nutrition. When the missing nutrients are returned, your body will start to feel considerably better. When it comes to curbing desires, having a healthy mind and body will go a long way.
4. 12 Step Meetings
The 12 step program has become the standard for addiction recovery and It is a powerful recovery tool that can be made use of. Just the effect of being surrounded by like-minded individuals who are going through the same recovery process you are will eliminate the feelings of loneliness that creep in from time to time.
Hearing them share their stories, provide guidance, and recovery ideas may be extremely beneficial to your recovery. You could even discover that sharing your stories and advice with them is soothing and useful.
In these meetings, you might also find yourself a sponsor. A sponsor is that person who is usually much farther along in their recovery journey than you are. They would serve the role of an “older sibling” during your recovery. They are there to offer encouragement and advice, basically a support system within the support system.
5. Set Goals
Setting goals is a point that ties in with all the tools on this list. From the get-go, it is important to set goals. These goals need to be unique and hold special meaning to you. Things that you can work towards and have a tangible outcome.
Having something to work towards is a powerful tool in helping you achieve total sobriety. When you have something to work towards, it helps prevent you from looking back.
Stick to the plan, keep going to therapy, follow the steps, develop your coping skills. The recovery process is a mixed bag. There will be good days and bad days. What is important is that you attack each day with the same amount of optimism and vigor as you did the last.