The year’s coming to an end, and many of us have a lot to be thankful for in 2018. For some of us, we entered 2018 on a mission to beat our addiction for good, and through, faith, hard work, unity and teamwork, we were able to beat it. Now, as the year winds down, we might be wondering how to start our recovery journey after treatment. We’re in luck. The end of one year is always the beginning of an even better one, and knowing how to start the journey is half the battle! Just like in treatment, our recovery journey should start with a solid foundation of peers that can help support us in any circumstances we might have to navigate post-treatment. The Big Book can’t say enough about the importance of unity and cohesiveness in the recovery community. Recovery isn’t a one-man show, and we need supportive peers to help us celebrate our successes, navigate our challenges, and learn new strategies. Alumni groups are a great way to find that perfect foundation of peers, mentors, and colleagues. Other support groups near us can also be wonderful resources. Our treatment center can usually help us find a post-treatment group to get plugged into after initial treatment with ease. It’s also great to set goals for ourselves post-treatment. Having goals in place can give us something to aim for every day. As the Big Book says, it’s important to take the recovery process one day at a time. Even a small daily goal can give us something to look forward to, keep us on the straight and narrow, and make the process more manageable. Before we know it, a day’s win will turn into a year’s, then a decade’s! Finally, after getting plugged in and setting goals, we can begin our recovery journey by getting active. The Big Book indicates that once we leave treatment, we should make it a point to grab life by the horns and “enjoy the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life… for the first time in our life”. Life is a gift, and when we were addicted, we weren’t able to fully enjoy it. Now, in recovery, it should be our mission to make the most of life that we possibly can. That means taking up new, exciting hobbies, reaching out to others that have suffered from addiction to introduce them to treatment, and stimulating ourselves each and every day. There’s no time to be bored, lonely, or isolated in recovery. There’s simply too much life to enjoy!
Oceanfront Recovery of Laguna Beach is a premier addiction treatment facility with over half a decade of experience helping clients not just beat addiction, but win at life afterwards. We believe that treatment changes lives, and we approach each and every client case looking to help them beat addiction and become the best version of themselves they’ve ever been. Call us at (877)279-1777 to see how we can help you today!
