One of the most common fears in recovery is the fear of relapsing. After seeking help and working through treatment to get to where you are today, the last thing you want to encounter is a restart in the cycle of addiction.
A Healthy Lifestyle Can Help
Fortunately, you do not have to exist in a state of continual passive worry. Instead, you can engage in certain daily or weekly habits to hold yourself accountable in recovery and stay on the path to success. Living a healthy lifestyle can be very helpful in preventing relapse. Since stress, discomfort, boredom, and pain can increase your risk of relapse, improving your overall health can be an excellent relapse deterrent.
To improve your lifestyle, it is essential to understand what healthy behaviors are lacking in your life and how you can implement them into your routines. Consider your life aspects that are currently neglected or off-balance. Adding behaviors that address these aspects into your daily routines can help you increase your overall well-being. Adding these behaviors into your recovery routine can help you avoid falling into addiction again. To start, consider the following behaviors and think about how you are doing with each.
#1 Keep a Scheduled Routine
One of the best practices to help you maintain your sobriety is to keep a scheduled daily routine. Routine is important because it helps solidify your engagement in healthy practices, making them a regular practice. Having a routine to follow can give you purpose in your day-to-day actions and encourage you to consistently work on yourself. It can also help you stay on track with your goals and keep a recovery-oriented focus.
#2 Establish Sleep Cycles
Sleep health is often neglected. However, it is a necessity if we want our bodies to function at their best.
During the initial stages of recovery, individuals are going through many physical and emotional changes. Healthy sleep habits and routines can be especially useful for getting through this time. Sleep is still important later in recovery, as it is essential for maintaining energy and allowing your body to rest and recover from the stress of the day.
Set a bedtime and try to stick to it. As childish as it may sound to have a bedtime, it can be difficult to go to sleep at a specific time every night. Setting a bedtime is a great way to encourage yourself to go to bed at your desired time to ensure a good night’s rest. Along with setting up a bedtime, it is important to maintain a consistent wake-up time. If you tend to sleep in, set a goal for a desirable time to wake up. For most people, the period between your bedtime and wake-up time should be approximately eight hours.
#3 Prioritize Self-Care
Another great habit to add to your routine is engagement with at least one form of self-care each day. This may seem excessive. However, these practices do not need to take up a large amount of time. For example, taking five minutes to show yourself gratitude can go a long way in recovery. You may be surprised by the benefits that can arise from these simple additions to your daily routine.
Other Recommendations
Consider implementing these alternative recommendations into your weekly or monthly routines outside of treatment. These practices can help you create or maintain a strong support group. They also can open you up to social engagement, helping you avoid self-isolation.
#1 Join a Peer Recovery Group
Peer recovery groups are a great way to create a strong support system of individuals who have similar experiences and goals. While not everyone’s situation is the same in recovery, you will likely be able to relate to others in these groups in many ways. When you encounter obstacles that cause you to struggle with maintaining your sobriety, you can have access to a group of individuals who understand this struggle. They can help you work through these difficulties and stay on track. The development of these peer relationships can strengthen your motivation to continue your success.
When attending these groups, you are reinforcing the practices that help you succeed in recovery. You can continue to gain skills to help you adjust to your life beyond treatment. Set new goals for yourself and continue to work to accomplish those goals with the support of a peer recovery group. These groups are great at providing a light form of structure without overwhelming your schedule. Most groups meet one or two days a week. The meetings are often around an hour, so your whole day is not dedicated to your group. This balance can be a perfect addition to your new routine.
#2 Stay Active in the Recovery Community
Another great way to maintain sobriety is to stay active in the sober community. There are many individuals who seek to live a lifestyle of full sobriety. Engaging with this community can help you make friends who share similar values and goals. It is much easier to engage in sober activities if your surrounding peers do as well. Hanging out with sober friends is a great way to stay socially engaged while maintaining sobriety. The social expectations of drinking or substance use are often one of the most influential factors in a relapse. Having a social network that supports your sobriety can help you avoid falling back into the cycle of addiction.
Relapsing is a common fear among people in recovery. While there are many ways to avoid falling into the cycle of addiction again, many people don’t understand what those practices are or how to best implement them into their routines. Ensuring you are engaging in healthy behaviors is key to maintaining sobriety. Take a look at your current habits and ensure you have an established routine filled with positive behaviors. Other great resources to utilize to help keep yourself on the path to success include joining a peer recovery group and staying active in the recovery and sober community. To learn more, reach out to Dream Recovery today at (949) 732-1960.
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