Struggling with drug and alcohol addiction is no easy task and even the successful completion of a program at an established addiction treatment center won’t necessarily lighten your burden. This is because you still have to return to the real world, where you have freedom of choice, enabling peers, and access to some of the most addictive substances in the world. By taking a few suggestions and incorporating them into your life, you can more successfully transition into a clean and sober member of society.
Create a Support Network
There will be good influences in your life, just as there will be those who often served as triggers for feeding your addictions. Seek out positive role models and those who act supportive of your new clean lifestyle. These people can be family members and friends, but it’s also recommended that you access your rehab facility’s after care network. By staying in touch, you can open up to people who really understand what you’re going through.
Pursue Creative Interests
When you’re back in the outside world, you’ll be faced with familiar circumstances that can remind you of your former lifestyle. It’s important to fill that time with new endeavors, so why not pursue something that interests you? Consider taking up writing, painting, acting, or sculpting. No artistic talent? You can still pursue art as a fan. Visit museums, go to plays, or spend more time reading books that interest you.
Draft a New Routine
Again, you will need to alter past behaviors, which means changing the same old routine. This may mean explaining your needs to your family, so they don’t misinterpret your actions and take your changes as a direct insult. This may be particularly true, if your family members were triggers for your addiction. This is about your need to live a sober life.
Change Your Thinking
Now that you’re back in your old neighborhood, you may feel more confident and feel as though you have a handle on your addiction. This is a mistake in thinking and can lead you right back to the perilous cycle you fought so hard to escape. You will find it troubling to go out with friends who drink alcohol or use drugs and not partake yourself. In most cases, this is how relapses occur. Instead of taking the chance, attend your meetings and seek out new friends- people who also live clean lifestyles.
Find a New Purpose
Now that you’ve graduated from rehab, this may be the ideal time to pursue another achievement. In addition to pursuing creative interests, consider breaking into a new career. This may mean going back to school, requesting cross-training at a current place of employment, or engaging in an apprenticeship. There’s no reason you can’t use this as an opportunity to find a more rewarding career.
Repair Your Past Relationships
While you were busy feeding your addiction, you probably sabotaged some worthwhile relationships. You may have pushed away family members, friends, and co-workers. You may also have destroyed a romantic relationship with someone you once loved. The first step is seeking forgiveness for your past acts. While those relationships may never be the same as they once were, it may be possible to regain some of the bonding and support you lost.
Additionally, this is the time to seek out new relationships. It’s possible that many of your past friends won’t understand the new you. This may push them away. Instead of dwelling on what you’ve lost, view this as an opportunity to meet new people.
Essentially, participating in a rehab program is about changing your life, so you can’t expect to return to the same old situation. Aside from close, supportive loved ones, most of the people, practices, and locales of your old life may need to be replaced or adjusted to accommodate your new needs. Don’t feel ashamed by this. Instead, view it as an opportunity to experience new things and live a more fulfilling life.
