Addiction is a serious disease. No matter your age, race, or gender, you can fall prey to substance abuse at any point in life.
Drugs and alcohol destroy thousands of lives every year. Many addicts start the recovery process each year, and while some are successful, plenty of others are not. That’s because recovery from substance abuse isn’t easy and requires total commitment.
Fortunately, it is possible to stay clean and sober. This article takes a look at great tips for how to live clean when temptation is all around you. Keep reading to learn ways to stay on the path to living free of addiction.
1. Find a Support Group
When it comes to maintaining sobriety, it’s crucial to realize that the journey is so much easier when you’re not alone.
Staying clean and sober takes a village. The recovery process is a day-to-day battle, thus you’re going to need people you can lean on. This means receiving daily love, encouragement, and support. Even if you consider yourself stubborn and independent, keep in mind that addiction is a disease, and you’re going to need all the help you can get.
Find a support group of other recovering addicts. These are people who will understand your struggle. They can relate to daily temptations. They know what it’s like to walk in your shoes. This enables them to provide usefully.
2. Avoid Risky Situations
One of the keys to staying clean is to make better choices. After all, your poor choices in the past are what put you in this position in the first place.
A big part of better decision-making is to avoid the types of situations that will present unhealthy temptations. Avoid running with the wrong crowds and hanging in environments where drugs and alcohol are present will tempt you to use again.
This might make it sound like you’re no longer allowed to have fun, but the truth is that you’d be wise to reassess your definition of fun.
Learning to avoid risky situations is a valuable skill. In fact, it’s one of the top practices for supporting your own sobriety. Find new friends. Stop going to places that provide temptation, and find new ways to have fun.
If you’re looking for resources to help maintain your sobriety, the Rational Recovery Book Summary is a good place to start.
3. Learn to Manage Stress
Many people simply aren’t good at managing stress. This is the reason they begin abusing drugs and alcohol in the first place. Substance abuse helps them numb the feelings and emotions associated with stress.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that this behavior is unhealthy and dangerous. Substance abuse doesn’t solve your problems, it only causes bigger ones.
Now is the time to learn tips for healthy stress management. After all, moments of stress and anxiety will tempt you to relapse, which will elevate your stress level even higher.
Meditation is a great technique for dealing with stress. It’s free and easy, and can radically change your life when practiced on a daily basis. Meditation teaches you how to breathe, release your thoughts, clear your mind, and let the stressful emotions simply pass.
There are plenty of resources online that can help you learn more about stress management. So take the time to educate yourself so that you’ll be prepared to handle stressful thoughts whenever they arise.
4. Find Healthy Hobbies and Activities
Another important tip is to stay busy. Having hobbies that engage the mind and body are vital for maintaining sobriety. The key is to find things that help keep your mind off of unhealthy habits and activities.
An addict needs to make an effort to break old and destructive habits and replace them with healthy habits that will contribute to a sober lifestyle. After all, sobriety isn’t a one-time accomplishment, it’s a lifestyle that must be nurtured.
Never forget that your sobriety is fragile, and thus should never be taken for granted. Some addicts manage to put together years or even decades of sobriety before relapsing. That’s why you must be ever vigilant and take your new healthy lifestyle very seriously so that you can remain on the path to recovery.
5. Develop a Healthy Diet and Exercise
Get healthy. Your body has been through a lot, both inside and out. Now it’s time to begin giving it the respect it deserves.
A poor diet isn’t your friend. You need to start eating foods that will provide your body with the kinds of nutrients that will make you feel strong. Stop eating foods that contain toxins and start exercising.
Work up a good sweat and fill your lungs with fresh air. This is one of the best things you can do to feel stronger, to clear your mind, and to elevate your self-esteem.
6. Get a Job
Stay employed. You’ll need the money, and you need to have a constructive place to be all day. It will feel good to have people rely on you. Besides, you have bills to pay. So get off the couch and join the workforce.
7. Avoid Unhealthy Relationships
This might be the most important factor involved in staying sober. If you have unhealthy people in your life, cut them loose. You deserve better. Successful recovery will be nearly impossible if you surround yourself with toxic people.
8. Prepare for Relapse
It’s important to understand that relapse is always a possibility. This doesn’t make you a weak person, it’s simply a healthy reminder of how powerful this disease really is.
Substance abuse truly is a disease. And you’re an addict. So never take your sobriety for granted. Instead, take your recovery one day at a time. And if you do relapse, be gentle with yourself and continue on your journey.
Important Tips for Staying Clean and Sober
Staying clean and sober is a lifelong process. No one accomplishes full recovery without a struggle. Fortunately, the tips contained here can help take some of the struggle out of the recovery process.
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