Recovery from addiction doesn’t end after addiction treatment. Sober life can seem like a challenge to many people. You may not know how you’re going to hang out with your friends anymore, or how you’re going to deal with stress. What if you come across unexpected temptations? Navigating a sober life can be challenging, but there are ways to enjoy your life without substances. One of the most important things you can learn while you’re in recovery is how to begin your life without substances. Fortunately, there is an abundance of sober activities in CO. To learn more about managing your life while sober, contact Women’s Recovery at 833.754.0554 today.
Navigating a Sober Life
Once you are in recovery, the next step towards navigating a sober life is creating specific skills. These skills include:
Creating Healthy Boundaries
Creating healthy boundaries can become challenging. You need to know how to say no to drugs and alcohol, but standing up for yourself in these situations can be challenging. Your friends may tell you that “one sip” or “one hit” won’t hurt, but it can make a difference to your recovery at a substance abuse treatment center. It’s okay to say no and stay away from situations that may trigger you to use drugs or alcohol again. If you create these boundaries, you’re more likely to maintain your sobriety.
Cultivating New Friendships
In all likelihood, you may have formed friendships that revolved around drug or alcohol use. If your friends don’t respect your new boundaries, you may have to let those friendships go. Cultivating new friendships can help you maintain your sobriety, as these friends support you and encourage you to navigate sober life. Creating new friendships can seem daunting, but it is possible. Try going to the gym or join a book club. Try new things and learn new skills. Staying busy is an excellent way to cultivate new friendships that don’t revolve around substance abuse.
Staying Busy
As mentioned above, staying busy is a great way to create new friendships, but it is also an excellent way to maintain your sobriety. When you’re bored or lonely, you’re more likely to return to drugs or alcohol. However, when you create new hobbies and make new friends, you’ll find that you will have a lower chance of relapsing. It will also boost your self-worth and allow you to explore the new person that you are when you’re sober.
Using the Skills You Learned in Rehab
While you were in rehab, you likely attended a variety of therapy sessions. Therapy is an excellent way to determine what the causes of your substance use, and it can give you the tools to maintain your sobriety outside of treatment. For instance, cognitive-behavioral therapy may have allowed you to identify negative thought patterns that led to your substance use. Therefore, if you notice yourself falling back into those thought patterns, you can create new, healthier processes. Other therapeutic options that you may find yourself falling back on include:
- Trauma therapy
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Mental health treatment
Choosing Alternatives to Bars or Clubs
If you’re in recovery from drugs and alcohol, going to clubs or alcohol can be detrimental to your sobriety. Therefore, it’s critical to choose alternative places to spend time. Restaurants, museums, libraries, and arcades can offer alternative choices to bars and clubs. You may also find that you have more fun.
Contact Women’s Recovery
Navigating a sober life can seem challenging, but it is a challenge worth overcoming. At Women’s Recovery, we have plenty of ideas for helping you stay free from drugs and alcohol with sober life activities in CO. To learn more, contact Women’s Recovery today at 833.754.0554.
