The journey of recovery can be incredibly difficult but is worth the future rewards. One important and rewarding aspect of recovery is building a sober support network.
Your support network can help you stay sober by encouraging you and helping you navigate the challenges of addiction recovery. Building this network through your recovery is essential to keep you motivated and avoid feeling isolated.
What Is a Sober Support Network?
A sober support network is a group of people who provide support and encouragement during addiction recovery. These individuals can include family members, friends, therapists, support group members, and other individuals who have gone through addiction recovery themselves. The key to building a strong sober support network is to surround yourself with people who are committed to your sobriety and who can help you stay accountable.
Recovery can be extremely lonely. Having a sober support network can help you feel less isolated. Your support network can provide you with emotional support, encouragement, and practical advice to help you stay accountable and motivated in your sobriety.
Building Your Social Support Network
Establishing your social support network can take time. The following techniques can help.
#1. Reach Out to Friends and Family
Your loved ones may not have experienced addiction themselves, but they can still provide you with support and encouragement. Be honest with them about your addiction and your desire to stay sober. Ask for their help in staying accountable and let them know what they can do to support you. These relationships can often provide a long-term support system.
#2. Utilize Individual Therapy
At Dream Recovery, you will be assigned to an individual therapist that you meet with regularly. Your therapist can provide you with emotional support and practical advice for managing addiction recovery. They can help you identify triggers, develop coping strategies, and work through any underlying emotional issues that may be contributing to your addiction. Through your recovery journey, you will work collaboratively with your therapist to develop an individualized plan to help you stay sober.
Your therapist will likely be part of your sober support network while you are in treatment. After treatment, the knowledge about yourself and the practice of interpersonal skills that you gained in therapy can help build and maintain healthy relationships. These are some of the key benefits of therapy in building your support network.
#3. Engage in Sober Activities
Finding sober activities can help you meet other sober individuals and build your support network. Look for activities in your community that do not involve alcohol or drugs. For example, sports teams, art classes, volunteer opportunities, religious organizations, and reading clubs can be great places to meet sober friends. These activities can help you regularly meet with these new people and build relationships with others who are committed to sobriety.
Maintaining Your Sober Support Network
Once your sober support network is established, you may think that your work is done. This, however, is not the case.
After establishing a strong support network, it is important to put forth the effort to maintain those relationships. Using these tips, you can keep your support system strong moving forward.
#1. Stay Connected
Make time to stay in touch with those in your support network. Arrange regular check-ins or meet-ups to stay connected and offer each other mutual encouragement.
If you find that you struggle to stay connected with people, set a schedule. This can help you get in the habit of reaching out to certain people regularly. Keep a list of when you last contacted or met with each member of your support system to ensure you are keeping those relationships intact.
#2. Show Gratitude
Take time to express your appreciation for those in your support network. Thank them for their assistance and words of affirmation.
Expressing gratitude can be extremely important in maintaining your sober support network. This can help you to feel fulfilled in sharing your appreciation while also reinforcing the other party to continue supporting you.
#3. Practice Self-Care
You may be wondering how self-care benefits the maintenance of your sober support network. The two concepts may seem unrelated, but they have a strong influence on each other.
If you are engaging in self-care regularly and taking care of your needs, you are likely lowering the pressure and need for support from other members of your support system. This can keep the people in your support network from feeling overwhelmed. Prioritizing your self-care can help create a balance within these supportive relationships.
#4. Be Honest
It is extremely important to be honest with yourself and with those in your support network through recovery. Being honest and open about your struggles will allow your support network to provide you with the best form of support and encouragement for you to stay on track. Honestly also allows you to recognize your needs and express them to members of your support system in a healthy way.
Surrounding yourself with individuals who are dedicated to your sobriety and who can offer emotional support can make a huge difference in your recovery journey. Use these practices to build a strong sober support network that will positively influence your lifelong recovery journey.
As humans, we often seek approval from others. Having a sober support network can help validate your choices and hard work within your recovery journey and solidify the importance of maintaining sobriety. Building a sober support network can be challenging, but it is worth it. By reaching out to your family and friends, utilizing individual therapy to improve social skills, and engaging in sober activities, you can build a support network of your own. After establishing a strong support network, be sure to engage in actions that positively influence both sides of the relationship to help keep this support structure maintained. To learn more about building a sober support network, contact Dream Recovery at (657) 216-7218.