What Are 5 Things People Should Know About Sobriety?
Addiction recovery can be difficult for people because they may think they have to hit rock bottom to go to rehab. Sobriety is more than just hitting the lowest point in your journey of addiction. When your life is unmanageable, it may be time to consider the choices other than staying where you are right now. Most people go all the way down before they look for a way out. Sobriety is not all that bad, it just seems hard to get there from the other side. Find out why there are a few things to keep in mind about sobriety that might make the decision to seek treatment easier.
Recovery Takes Time
Even if you think you are going to go from zero to one hundred overnight, you likely won’t feel like going even five miles per hour after rehab. Everything slows down, including your body and mind. It will be hard to focus on anything else, which is for the best. Recovery needs to take precedence over anything else in your life. Being successful in sobriety means recognizing the need to make changes and adjustments while learning to manage the disease of addiction.
Aftercare Support is Essential
Post-rehab, there is a period of time where you need to reintegrate into your community and find resources to help you navigate this new journey. Sobriety is not just about getting sober, it is about embracing recovery for a lifetime. Aftercare includes finding outpatient programs that are flexible to continue therapeutic support, along with individual and group counseling. Support groups can be great places to make sober friends and find healing from addiction not so bad as you first thought.
No Quick Fixes
Recovery is not a panacea for what ails you. Actions have consequences, including those made with addiction as the driver. When abuse of drugs or alcohol takes control of your life, you let go of other things like work, family, and friends to support your drug habit. When you get sober, the problems don’t disappear and may even appear in bright technicolor. Some problems you may face include:
- Relationship challenges
- Financial issues
- Employment problems
- Legal challenges from addiction
People Disappear
Whether for good or just for now, there may be people who disappear from your life. They are either not able to handle your sober status or were not people you needed in your sober life. Your social circle may close in and get smaller when you are not someone’s drinking buddy any longer, but lifestyle changes are necessary for healing. Whether they get sober or not is not your job now, the job you have is to find healing for yourself.
Stronger Now
Addiction recovery is a sign of strength, that you made it this far. When you are ready to ask for help, you may not have imagined being where you are now. Nobody overcomes the disease of addiction without help. Learning how to blow past denial and seek help takes courage and fortitude few have and many wish they did. Recovery is possible if you are willing to work at it and ask for help along the way. With the right planning and support, you can make it as far as you want to go and feel joy again on the other side.
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 a 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.
