Congratulations on entering your new sober life! However, getting through rehab was just the beginning of your journey. You need to rebuild your life and learn new coping mechanisms for dealing with stress. It’s easy enough to stay clean when you’re in a safe, controlled environment, but it gets a lot harder out in the real world. You can build healthy habits that will help you maintain your sobriety for a lifetime. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Fix What Is Broken
The odds are you didn’t fall into alcohol or substance abuse by sheer accident. There were problems in your life that you tried to deal with in unhealthy ways, and this spiraled down into even worse problems as you became addicted. It ruined your health and damaged your self-esteem. Now, you have to drill down and figure out what drove you to addiction. You’ll need counseling, behavior modification therapy, and new skills for coping with trauma and disappointment. You’ll have to deal with stressors and temptations to slide back into old patterns. As a result, You’ll need to rebuild your support network with the help of family and friends. You may need to get into a support group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps, or Narcotics Anonymous. They’ll help you to locate resources in your community that can promote your new sober lifestyle.
Learn to Cope
You’re going to need new strategies to deal with things that trigger or upset you. Consider enrolling in a yoga class and practicing mindfulness meditation. Meditation can help you stay focused in the moment, and improves your mind-body connection. It helps to relieve stress and promotes clear thinking for better problem-solving. Make sure you’re getting enough rest; sleep deprivation encourages the development of unhealthy behavioral patterns. It increases levels of depression, reduces the efficacy of your immune system, and can even make you physically ill. There is some evidence that hypnotherapy can help manage cravings and alleviate stressors as part of a behavioral modification therapy.
An easier approach may be to get out and get moving. A daily exercise regimen is a healthy lifestyle change that requires minimal equipment and can be managed independently. Studies show that exercise encourages the healing process, boosts immunity and releases endorphins to give you a natural high and renewed optimism.
Eat Well to Be Well
There is good evidence that a balanced, nutritious diet promotes health and healing. For people in recovery from an addiction, it can be an important tool in the process of regaining their good health. Alcohol and drug abuse go hand in hand with nutritional deficiencies. Rebuilding the body through a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins can help to prevent relapse. Cut out sugar and processed carbohydrates, as these lead to unstable blood sugars and mood swings that can threaten your sobriety. Consider a consultation with a nutritional therapist to identify vitamins and micronutrients that are lacking in your diet. Making healthy food choices can only help in the healing process as you rebuild your life.
Your commitment to sobriety will be enhanced by making the decision to prioritize your own health and well-being with healthy lifestyle choices and habits. Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, and practice relaxation and de-stressing techniques to help you manage cravings and stressors in your life. Make the choice each day to take care of your body so it can take care of you for the rest of your long, happy, and sober life.