While you may feel like an anomaly at times, the reality is that tens of millions of Americans struggle with substance abuse and addiction on a yearly basis. And while many go through treatment each year, only a fraction truly experience relief from their addictive behaviors. The question is, how can you have a more successful recovery?
5 Tips for More Effective Recovery
Why is it that some people can go through recovery and kick their addictive habits the first time around, while others spend a lifetime relapsing and going in and out of various treatment centers? There are plenty of possible answers to this question, but when you really look at the heart of the issue, you’ll find that successful addiction recovery often contains many of the same elements.
Let’s look at how you can use them to your advantage.
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Make Recovery a Priority
You have to make recovery a genuine priority; otherwise, you have no chance of establishing any sort of permanent change in your life.
As one doctor advises, the key to a successful recovery is to “put yourself first and stay in touch with trained professionals who know you and can provide you with comprehensive treatment options and sound advice throughout your recovery.”
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Take it One Day at a Time
Just as your addiction didn’t manifest itself in a single day, your recovery will take time to unfold. The key is to take things one day at a time. Instead of looking at the next week, month, year, or decade of your life, zoom in and focus exclusively on the next 24 hours. At this point, that’s all you can control. Once the day is over, you can focus on tomorrow.
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Pursue Holistic Treatment
Every individual has different needs, but everyone should start their recovery process by pursuing holistic modes of treatment. As Sagebrush points out, holistic addiction treatment programs generally seek to promote knowledge and awareness of the whole self – body, mind, emotion, and spirit – by helping clients address negative patterns and adopt healthy, natural habits.
Every holistic treatment program looks different, but many involve activities like meditation, yoga, acupuncture, exercise, and herbal therapy. Finding holistic activities that resonate with you will be helpful in your recovery.
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Switch Up Your Environment
In all likelihood, you’ve been surrounding yourself with the wrong people over the past few years. This may include people who encourage, ignore, or even participate in your addictive behaviors. With that being said, it’s smart to switch up your environment and cut ties with people who aren’t supportive of your new lifestyle.
By changing up your surroundings, you’ll find it easier to avoid triggers and strengthen your resolve. This will also give you the opportunity to find new friends and groups that encourage healthy behaviors.
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Get Involved
If you want to avoid a relapse and prevent falling back into your addictive behaviors, it’s helpful to get involved in something bigger than yourself. Whether it’s joining a local rec sports team, going back to school to get a degree, or starting a new hobby, involvement in constructive activities is helpful for recovering addicts.
Put Yourself First
There are times for being selfless and there are times for prioritizing your own best interests. When it comes to recovery, you need to put yourself first. In doing so, you’ll avoid making decisions that please others at the expense of your own health.
If you’re finally ready to kick your addiction and find peace, the tips outlined in this article will help you get the start you need. What are you waiting for?