It’s no secret that most people new to recovery lack major life skills. Learning these is part of treatment and recovery. You’re not expected to know anything when you get to recovery. The only requirement for recovery is a desire for change. The rest will come in time. One of the primary traits of a person in sobriety is honesty. In order for change to take place, complete transparency must be present. Even this can be extremely difficult for most in the beginning. Addiction requires people to lie, so this has been all they’ve known for quite some time. Now that you’re in sobriety, it’s important to know recovery requires honesty. Learning to be honest can carry through to all aspects of your life. Your family likely got the brunt of all your lies. Now you’re clean and sober and it’s time to give them your complete honesty. They may not totally understand addiction, but your transparency can help everyone to move forward and heal from the past. Most people who used drugs and alcohol did so because of a lack of effective coping mechanisms. Stress and anxiety are things every person experiences. Lack of appropriate methods of handling them causes many to turn to substances. Treatment and recovery can teach numerous ways of handling difficult situations. Some effective coping strategies may include meditation, exercise, talking to a sponsor or mentor, or painting. All of these allow you to take an objective view on what’s potentially triggering you. Appropriate coping skills help facilitate solutions. By using your valuable methods, family life can go much more smoothly. During your addiction, family members may have felt frightened by you because of your irrational response to certain situations. Using skills to work through them, while maintaining total honesty is a great recipe for a healthy home life. Setting goals may have come frequently in your addiction, but achieving them is another story. Being in recovery can teach you to set attainable goals for yourself. If you start small, reaching them seems more achievable. The same goes for your family life, as well. When you first get clean and sober, there is probably a huge lack of trust for you. This is why you must show you can be dependable and achieve your goals. If you say you’ll mow the lawn and you do, loved ones respect that and will begin to rely on you for bigger tasks. The skills you learn in recovery aren’t just beneficial to keep you abstinent from drugs and alcohol. They can be practiced in every area of your life.
Your story is waiting to begin with the rest of your life. Treatment is the beginning of the journey that changes your story. At Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in Orange County, California, we believe that when you change your story, you change your life. Call us today for information on our programs for treatment, including our exclusive executive track. 877.279.1777
