Ask Yourself These Questions Before Deciding to Move in Recovery
Moving from where you are now to somewhere else may seem like the right choice. When you drink and use drugs, you are not thinking straight. This is when you make bad decisions and choices. Recovery brings hope for change. However, there is a limit to how much change you should make all at once to avoid taking too far a leap too soon. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you decide to move in recovery.
Safe Housing
Success for one person is different for another. Moving to a place that is not safe while you are still newly sober can be uprooting and triggering. The feeling of home and sanctuary is important for people but it is more important for those in recovery. Finding the ideal living situation will never happen but you can at least find a better place to live than where you are currently if it is not one that supports your sobriety.
Impulse Move
Looking at the bigger picture, it is harder to see where things will go from here. It may seem like a good idea to move but if you move too quickly, or don’t have a good plan, you may find yourself in a situation that is triggering and filled with stress. Stress can be a trigger for relapse. It is not that you cannot find help anywhere you go, but making a big move before you are ready and capable may keep you from being successful in your new life and journey. There is something to be said about waiting in recovery. Waiting to move, waiting to date, waiting to get going until things settle in a bit more.
First Ask Why
Check your motivation at the door, as they say. There is usually a challenge for people who are newly sober or sober for a short period of time that keeps them from being able to figure things out with a clear head under pressure. So many things shift and change when you are sober and you will be making some of them swiftly like new friends and new housing. Be sure to sit down with trusted friends and advisors to work out why you think you have to move to get on with your life. Perhaps it is necessary, but taking smaller steps to get there may be better than making big leaps in the beginning. Don’t underestimate the amount of effort it takes to move, the money, and energy. It can be a struggle to settle into a new space, especially if you don’t know anyone. Let yourself ask why first, then seek to change things from the inside out. If you make changes from this space, you are more likely to be successful in recovery (and in life).
Contact Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center Today
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Community model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
