As the leaves start to change and summer slips towards fall it is vitally important that you keep your focus on sobriety and well being. As the seasons change you can continue to follow our advice on remaining sober while regaining your social life during a journey of sobriety.
The advice we presented that would help you navigate the tricky summer season still applies as the months grow colder.
- Find a Personal Support System
- Keep a List of Triggers
- Find a Professional Support System
- Actively Live a Healthier Lifestyle
All of these tips work all year long and will continue to help you feel comfortable, happy, and sober as your year continues. With the summer winding down your social life will change slightly. Pool parties and summer barbecues will turn into get-togethers to watch sports and days spent outside in the fall foliage.
Despite this change the dangers of relapse will not go away. To fight these new challenges there are a few more guidelines that can help you stay on track.
Stay Positive and Proactive
As you continue on your journey you need to remind yourself that a life of sobriety, despite its difficulties, is worth it. Reminding yourself of how much happier you are on a daily basis without your vice is a great way to reinforce your own behaviour.
Once you reinforce your life choices it is important to continue to stay positive by setting aside time to do things you truly enjoy. In addition to making time for your personal hobbies both new and old, it is important that you remain proactive about not relapsing. That means you should brush up on your list of triggers and continue to brainstorm sober activities that will bring you joy.
Maintain Support Systems
When August turns into September your support systems will remain just as important as they were in the hot summer months. Your close friends and trustworthy family members still bring you immense value. Not only can you talk to them when you are feeling down, but you can rely on them to help you get out of a sticky situation at a big get-together or event.
Remember to not burden your friends with the responsibility of being there for you at all hours, instead trust professionals. Whether you thrive in a group or individual environment you simply must maintain your connections with your professional support systems. These professionals and your peers in professional settings will listen to your problems and be able to provide advice and guidance that is proven to help.
Continue Your Healthy Lifestyle
Whether you have had an easy time getting into a regular routine of eating right and exercising consistently, or it has been more difficult for you, it is huge that you continue on your path towards a healthier lifestyle.
The rewards of a healthy lifestyle are immense, by embarking on a life of sobriety you have already boosted your healthy lifestyle past that of many people, making it a no brainer to continue down this path to feel better and better.
Find a Reliable and Healthy Reward
A major hurdle in a life of sobriety is finding a way to reward yourself for doing well. This is difficult because many people reward themselves with vices, in fact, using a vice as a reward is often the way people start a path towards abuse.
To stay on a reliable path of recovery it is important to find a healthy and fun way to replace your vice and reward yourself for good behavior. This reward will give you something to look forward to and work towards, while preventing you from slipping towards a relapse.
Some people choose to engage their sweet tooth to fight off urges from their past. While a piece of cake or some ice cream is not the most healthy option, it is still far better than relapsing and heading back into your past. These treats also provide you with something to look forward to that isn’t a vice from your past.
Other rewards similar to this that may work better for you are, taking a day off work to binge watch your favorite TV show, scheduling a spa weekend for yourself, or heading on a dream vacation. Whatever motivates you to do better and provides you with happiness while still enabling you to stay on your journey of sobriety is a great way to reward yourself.
Tips on Managing Sobriety in the End of Summer
As the seasons change you must remember that the way you thrive in a life of sobriety never really changes, it is just the challenges that constantly keep you on your toes. Ensuring that you maintain your support systems, actively pursue an active lifestyle, stay aware of your triggers, and find a new reward system for yourself will set you up for success.
All of these things are difficult in their own right, but when you work towards all of them they fit together making everything else just a little easier. Remember to keep your head down, stay focused on yourself, and remember that you are in control of your life and that you are setting yourself up for more happiness than ever before.
