Becoming sober again after experiencing addiction disorder is an incredible success. But keeping that sobriety going in the long term is an even greater accomplishment.
Read on to discover tips and strategies that may help you stay sober for longer.
Finding Professional Addiction Treatment
For almost everyone, the most important step in overcoming substance abuse disorder is to find a treatment center that works for them. These services can help you to manage withdrawal symptoms, achieve sobriety, and prevent addiction relapse. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), inpatient and outpatient rehab, sober living, and more are available at many addiction treatment facilities in Maryland.
Going to Therapy
Therapy is a fantastic resource for everyone, especially people who have substance use disorders. Therapy allows us to dig into our current emotions and our past selves, and try to understand why the substance use may have started in the first place.
There are many different forms of therapy, so you can explore different options as part of your substance abuse treatment. Using cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction is very common, as is motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and more.
Avoiding Triggering Situations
One of the best ways to avoid having cravings is to avoid situations where you might be reminded of your past substance use, or where people are currently engaging in their own. This might mean not going to parties where that might happen, not visiting with friends who aren’t sober, or staying away from locations where substance use is common, such as bars.
Grounding Techniques and Other Strategies
If you are experiencing cravings or other signs of addiction relapse, the first step is to take a deep breath and remind yourself that these urges are normal. Addiction is a disorder like many others, and a flare-up of symptoms may happen from time to time.
Distracting yourself with a hobby or by talking to a friend may be enough to curb the craving. Other strategies could include taking a walk in nature, watching a movie, or reminding yourself why you started this journey and how important it is to you.
Once the craving has passed, meditating or journaling may help you discover what trigger caused the craving. Remember to rest and practice self-care daily.
Support from Loved Ones
Addiction can be incredibly isolating and may make you push people away. But there are always people who care about you, no matter what your circumstances may be, and reaching out to them may help more than you think.
Loved ones can take the form of family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, counselors, and more. Reach out to them today, and let them know where you are on your journey to sobriety.
Finding Community
Loved ones are incredibly important to the process, but they aren’t the only types of connections you’ll need to foster. Finding communities for people who are also in recovery will help you greatly.
This can be group therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, and much more. Connecting with fellow sober people will give you access to tips, potential addiction sponsors, and resources as you discover what sobriety means to you.
Most importantly, communities like these are a reminder that you aren’t alone. If they have made it this far into recovery, so can you.
Despite the challenges, you will be able to see this process through. You have a long journey ahead, but you are not alone: there are many who have done this before you, and many more who will be there for you on the road to recovery.
Laila Azzahra is a professional writer and blogger that loves to write about technology, business, entertainment, science, and health.