Building A Sober And Satisfying Life

Getting into recovery for a drug addiction isn’t like getting “over” your drug addiction.  It’s about building a satisfying stable lifestyle to keep the risk of relapse as low as possible.  And even with that, there is no guarantee about staying sober every day for the rest of your life.  Here are some things to think about after you’ve been to drug treatment and you are starting your sober lifestyle.

Social Connections

Social support is vital for a good recovery plan.  And you shouldn’t be hanging around just anybody – positive healthy social connections make the difference.  It’s important to avoid contact with old user friends or hang around old haunts as much as possible.  Being around these strong reminders can trigger cravings and even relapse.  Building a sober life is about building a social network with healthy people who care about your sobriety.

Home Environment

Going home could be a great thing or it could be worrisome.  Do you live close to your previous drug source?  Is your family supportive?  Do you have a lot of family conflict?  Family therapy can really help with a newly sober person’s transition back home.  Addiction is about more than just the addicted person – the family unit is greatly disrupted when an addiction is active and raging.  When everyone is on the same page, changes can be easier to manage together.

Employment Stability

When you return from drug rehab, you may or may not have a job to come back to.  It depends on how your addiction affected your employment.  You may have been unemployed, been employed but nearly fired, or you may have a very understanding boss with flexible employment options.  Whatever your situation, it’s important to evaluate how well this job fits with your sober lifestyle.  Do lots of employees constantly talking about going out to the bars after work?  Do you have direct access to a good manager most of the day?  Is there something about the setting that could trigger relapse?  Ask these questions and more when you return to work after drug rehab.

A Sober Life Can Be Challenging But Is Worthwhile

It does take a lot of daily work to build a sober satisfying lifestyle when you have experienced years of drug addiction.  The longest lasting changedoesn’t come in big sweeps, it comes in baby steps.  Take each step a little at a time and build your sober life each day.