- Be sure to start each day with a clean home or room
- Get rid of cash and paraphernalia
- Daylight is important so open your windows to let the sunlight come in
- Keep your refrigerator well stocked with healthy snacks, fruits, and vegetables
- Post your recovery intentions somewhere you look every day
Are you at risk for a relapse?
Happy March! While Spring doesn’t officially start this year until March 20th, it can be nice to know now that we are only days away from warmer weather and longer days.
This week I would like to focus on relapse and what we can do to prevent one. Relapse is very common but if you can absolutely prevent one by recognizing the early triggers and you must be committed to do something about it.
Here are some internal signs that you might be thinking about a relapse:
- Not being able to think clearly (brain fog, sleepiness, etc.)
- Not being able to manage your emotions
- Difficulty remembering things
- Buckling too easily under pressure or stress
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Feeling especially clumsy
- Feeling guilty
If you are experiencing any of these signs you may be headed for a relapse. The good news is, is that you can prevent this. Start today by making a list of things you can do to get past these feelings. How can you distract yourself or work through them?
5 Tips for Loving someone who Struggles with an Addiction
When someone you love gets sucked into the whirlwind of an addiction it can create intense emotional struggles that can make things worse. You cannot help who you love and you can’t just stop loving someone because they’re going through an incredibly difficult time. You can though open your heart and try to approach the situation using love and compassion.
5 Tips for Loving Someone who struggles with Addiction
- Stop living in the past
- Don’t mistake enabling for love
- Forgive them
- Believe in them
- Recognize their effort
Finding Balance
Finding the right balance in life is hard regardless of your situation or circumstances. It’s much harder when you are struggling with an addiction and trying to figure out your plan for sobriety.
You see, traditional treatment programs oftentimes fail to recognize that a balance is essential to staying sober. When you give 200% to something because society tells you that it is the only way to achieve that goal, burnout is going to happen. It may not happen right away but it is bound to happen sooner or later.
Think of recovery as a spectrum. Some people need to immerse themselves all day, every day, to only recovery related activities in order to keep their mind off of using. And, that’s okay. But really, this method isn’t for everybody. Some people work full time, have families, go to school, go to church, etc. The key to staying sober is finding the right balance that works for you.
My challenge for you is this. Write down all the areas in your life where your presence is needed. Do you have pets, children, parents, siblings, friends? Do you need to take care of your home or maybe your career needs to stay a priority. Then try to figure out how you can find a balance. Instead of using drugs or alcohol, of course, replace that time with recovery related activities. But, what about everything else? You don’t have to stop being who you are in order to stay sober.
Taking Action
We have been discussing the five stages of change which essentially include:
Pre-contemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance
Termination
Let’s talk today about how to go from preparation to action. We find this is one of the most difficult transitions to make. During the contemplation stage a person may start to see negative effects that their substance use is having on their mind, body, or people around them yet making a change has not really crossed their mind or if it has, it may be very brief considerations. The preparation stage on the other hand, is when a person fully acknowledges to themselves that a change must occur and must occur soon. However, what is one have to do to change? There may be many circumstances that prevent such a life change or conditions that keep a person from accessing the tools they need to be successful. While, it may be an “ah ha” moment when this recognition occurs it’s not enough sometimes.
Taking action is hard work. Think about the action stage like this. What is one thing I can do today to move me forward on this path of sobriety? It’s also important to know that the action stage includes not using substances or on a very aggressive taper down. For some people, especially those who have been using alcohol or benzodiazepines, a small amount of use may be necessary to avoid deadly withdrawals. Action means that you have made the commitment to participate in a plan. This plan can be a specific treatment program but it doesn’t have to be. While professional help may be ideal it is not always an option. Have you committed? Are you substance free today? Congratulations! You are taking action!