When you leave rehab as a sober person you are determined to stay clean for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, some people don’t manage to follow this plan, as they suffer relapses. But a relapse doesn’t mean you can’t become sober again or that your treatment didn’t worked. It only means that your illness came back, so you can fight it again.
If you analyze your relapses you can understand what lead to them. Until you do that, you can learn about the most effective ways to prevent a relapse from The Recovery Village Columbus, a rehab center which helps dozens of addicts regain control over their lives as sober persons.
Exercise your willpower
Addiction can’t be controlled, but you can avoid a relapse by strengthening your willpower. When you leave the rehab you will see temptations all around you. After you manage to resist one temptation you will find the other ones easier to resist, so exercise your willpower.
Keep a positive mind-frame
It’s hard to stay positive when you struggle with temptations and pains, but it’s crucial for avoiding a relapse. During recovery there are good days and bad days; when you have a bad day, look for support. Special support groups can provide the much-needed help you need to stay sober. Your sponsor or your therapist can help you overcome a bad day. When you feel blue you can also turn to a physical activity, like yoga or horseback riding. Keeping yourself busy is an effective way to avoid temptations.
Live in the present
Forget about the past and avoid overthinking the future. Live in the present and enjoy your current life, without thinking of the past. Trying to be your old self is the best way to fall into addiction once again. Being overly confident can also lead to a trap, as you might want to prove someone that you are in control over the drug. Avoid places where you might find drugs or alcohol and find new places to hang out. After all, you worked hard to become sober and you can now choose to avoid clubs or other “dangerous” places.
Resist the urge to quit therapy
During recovery you might feel you don’t need therapy anymore. Resist the urge to quit therapy, because you will hit a bad day and your emotions will overwhelm you. Relapses are usually linked to common issues, such as relationship problems or daily conflicts. Therapy helps you cope with these in a healthy way, so don’t hurry to give up on it.
Accept your emotions
Recovery is a long process, filled with varied emotions. In the first months of recovery you will be highly sensitive, as your body is learning to cope with daily living without the drug. And this is hard! Accept your feelings and embrace them, as it’s normal to feel all these emotions. Don’t try to block them, as this will harm you. Express them, let them flow. In time, your life will return to normal, your emotions will calm down and you will be able to provide valuable support to other recovering addicts.
