Recovery
Recovery from addiction is a process that is different for every individual. That said, there are some general “rules” that apply to most everyone fighting addiction. Nobody says that you need to change every aspect of your life in order to live an addiction-free life. There are just a few areas in which you can make changes that could positively impact the rest of your life.
The most basic rule is to avoid high-risk situations. The obvious one are the bars and other establishments that provide the easiest source for the behavior or substance you are trying to avoid. Unfortunately this also (often) means the people you used to use with. Friends that tend to push you towards the substance or even “enable” you to partake can very often be a slippery slope. By avoiding these people and these areas, you can eliminate one situation from the recovery process.
You have likely heard the acronym, HALT, which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. These are the emotional triggers that most commonly trip us up in our recovery from addiction. If you imagine yourself at the end of the workday, you will likely be able to agree with 2 or 3 of these emotions. While we can’t always avoid these situations, being aware of them can help you avoid being caught off guard and prevent an insignificant craving from turning more serious.
Another important step in recovery from addiction is learning how to relax. This sounds so simple, but tends to be a sticking point for many folks in recovery. Many addicts use their substance of choice for this purpose. In recovery, one of the biggest challenges is finding a suitable replacement for the drug. Relaxation is a learned technique and can vary greatly in how we incorporate it. Exercise, meditation, yoga, hiking, etc. can all be ways in which we learn to relax and “unwind” from the stresses of the day. If we don’t find a replacement for the substance, the tension simply builds up until we lean further and further towards relapse.
AA teaches us “nothing changes if nothing changes”. If we don’t take steps to adjust our behaviors and thinking, we are on a path of more of the same. This is where it is important to create a new life so that it is easier to not use. We need to make adjustments in our lives, mostly small ones, that keep us from those triggers and traps that lead us back into the addiction.
This is an exciting opportunity that many people are not afforded in their lifetimes. The road of recovery from addiction leads you to a new life. Changing your life is always challenging. And changing your life for the better is rewarding. You can use the addiction as the catalyst for a better life and a life in which you command a higher level of control. While we don’t control our fates, the choices and changes made while in recovery from addiction can make huge strides in our happiness and contentment.
Recover from addiction is a process that is different for every individual. That said, there are some general “rules” that apply to most everyone fighting addiction. Nobody says that you need to change every aspect of your life in order to live an addiction-free life. There are just a few areas in which you can make changes that could positively impact the rest of your life.
The most basic rule is to avoid high-risk situations. The obvious one are the bars and other establishments that provide the easiest source for the behavior or substance you are trying to avoid. Unfortunately this also (often) means the people you used to use with. Friends that tend to push you towards the substance or even “enable” you to partake can very often be a slippery slope. By avoiding these people and these areas, you can eliminate one situation from the recovery process.
You have likely heard the acronym, HALT, which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. These are the emotional triggers that most commonly trip us up in our recovery from addiction. If you imagine yourself at the end of the workday, you will likely be able to agree with 2 or 3 of these emotions. While we can’t always avoid these situations, being aware of them can help you avoid being caught off guard and prevent an insignificant craving from turning more serious.
Another important step in recovery from addiction is learning how to relax. This sounds so simple, but tends to be a sticking point for many folks in recovery. Many addicts use their substance of choice for this purpose. In recovery, one of the biggest challenges is finding a suitable replacement for the drug. Relaxation is a learned technique and can vary greatly in how we incorporate it. Exercise, meditation, yoga, hiking, etc. can all be ways in which we learn to relax and “unwind” from the stresses of the day. If we don’t find a replacement for the substance, the tension simply builds up until we lean further and further towards relapse.
AA teaches us “nothing changes if nothing changes”. If we don’t take steps to adjust our behaviors and thinking, we are on a path of more of the same. This is where it is important to create a new life so that it is easier to not use. We need to make adjustments in our lives, mostly small ones, that keep us from those triggers and traps that lead us back into the addiction.
In closing
This is an exciting opportunity that many people are not afforded in their lifetimes. The road of recovery from addiction leads you to a new life. Changing your life is always challenging. And changing your life for the better is rewarding. You can use the addiction as the catalyst for a better life and a life in which you command a higher level of control. While we don’t control our fates, the choices and changes made while in recovery from addiction can make huge strides in our happiness and contentment.
