Struggling with addiction is one of the hardest things any individual can go through.Whether it is the sense of helplessness, the dependency, or the lack of control, addiction is a seriously debilitating illness that wreaks havoc on its victim. Going through the recovery process can be one of the most emancipating experiences of your life, although it, too, can have its difficulties. One of the biggest issues most recovering users experience is the temptation of reverting back to old habits. This might seem obvious, but it pays to remember that for the majority of the recovery process, you are surrounded by trained professionals in a setting that allows you to recuperate sans distractions, triggers, or temptations. When those safeguards are removed after you’ve completed the earliest stages of your rehabilitation process, it is very likely for those old triggers, environments, and temptations to make you crave again. Research indicates that the best way to avoid this is to keep yourself busy with new, sober friend groups and stimulating activities that don’t allow for much idle time to think about the drug you are going without. Additionally, it is highly recommended that you try your best to avoid old environments and stimuli. Another big issue those in recovery have to deal with is the very real possibility of anxiety and depression. Studies indicate that once your body has been purged of a substance, many of the feelings and emotions you may have suppressed while using could very well come flooding back. Additionally, your brain, which equated good, happy times with the chemicals it received from drugs, may very well be confused by the new signals it is now receiving and act erratically in response. The best way to fight anxiety and depression in the recovery process is to invest in a recovery group that will allow you to share your struggles, and will help you come up with actionable solutions to fix them. To complement your activity with the recovery group, it is also advisable to maintain a record of your emotional highs and lows in a daily journal, log, or diary. This will allow you to assess what may be triggering you, and make the correction to alleviate the issue. Finally, many in recovery deal with times when they can’t (or don’t feel like) effectively communicating. While this is a normal response to feeling overwhelmed by new experiences, environments, and stimuli, it is important to curb this feeling as quickly as possible. Again, keeping a journal of how you’re feeling will be a big help in this arena. Even if you don’t feel like talking to anyone, writing and sharing will still allow people to engage with and assist you!
Start your recovery journey with one call: (877)279-1777. Here at Oceanfront Recovery, we’ve got everything you need to kick addiction to the curb, once and for all. What are you waiting for? Call us today!
