Recovery from addiction isn’t an event that we participate in, once. It is a lifestyle that helps renew and redefine how a person lives their life. Rather than being a crutch, recovery is a building block that helps a person become even stronger than they were before their addiction. However, the tricky part of living in recovery is ensuring that you keep true to your new self by keeping clean. The sad truth about addiction recovery is that relapsing is all-too-common. However, a relapse does not mean failure, it simply means that you are still on the path to your recovery. Here are some tips on how to stay clean after recovery…
Renew relationships
Addiction has a horrible knack for causing the most foundational relationships in our lives to crumble because it shifts the importance in life from the people that we love to get the next fix. One key aspect of recovery is rebuilding these relationships and making new ones. Remind people that you care about them, and continually work for their trust and respect. Fighting the good fight for addiction recovery is already a challenge, but it isn’t one that we should face alone. Have people that you love by your side, and it will impassion you every day of your life.
Find ways to give back
Living a lifestyle of recovery means living a more fulfilling life than you’ve ever lived before. What it isn’t about, though, is living life simply for yourself. A lifestyle of recovery needs to be built around genuine empathy. Empathy is what keeps us connected to the world and all of humanity around us. This is why it is so important to find ways to give back to your community, as it keeps an important dose of perspective in your life. Volunteering and finding ways to make your community better gives you a very tangible purpose in recovery, which is something that cannot be underestimated when fighting addiction.
Know that recovery is a lifelong journey
The biggest mistake that people make in recovery is that they get discouraged at the slightest sign of failure. It’s important to remember that discouragement is dangerous, and must be overcome. Always remember that recovery is a lifelong journey that strengthens us and that there is a transitional process in this journey. At Turning Point of Arnold, part of our mission is to help facilitate this journey with our transitional living program, which helps addicts rebuild their lives as they re-enter society in ways that are fulfilling and engaging.
Stay healthy in other ways
A signature aspect and benefit of living in recovery is healthiness. However, being healthy doesn’t simply mean ridding yourself of addiction. Staying healthy and making smart choices about your well-being keeps you feeling energized and positive, which is crucial to staying the course in recovery. Sleeping and exercising, as well as being mindful about what you eat, are all things that will make you feel stronger each day. This is not something that should be underestimated. If you are having trouble with this part of recovery, remember that being active doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Finding active things to do with friends and family is a great way to be healthy and build more meaningful relationships.
Find hobbies
When life begins to lose its luster and purpose, that is when the lure of addiction is strongest, as it promises to be an easy substitute for real meaning. This is why someone living in recovery needs to find hobbies that they can devote themselves to. The trick to this is to not simply find a hobby for the sake of finding a hobby. Find something that you can truly be passionate about. Find something that fills your life with a certain joy that is unique and special to you. This gives life a zest that reminds you how lovely the world can be and helps to build you into a more fulfilled person.