When you have an addiction, it will be something that stays with you for the rest of your life. A condition considered to be chronic rather than one which can be cured, it will be up to you to develop good habits that will keep your addictive impulses under control. While you are in rehab, this is a great time to start working with counselors and others on the habits you will need moving forward with your life. To attain the success you desire, work on developing the following habits you can apply to your life each day.
Indulging Your Old Self No More
Once you decide to become sober and have started your addiction recovery process, you have to cut off ties to your old self. This means not hanging out in the same spots as before. Many places you frequented may have had a connection to drugs or alcohol. Therefore, no matter how strong or disciplined you are, being in an environment that provides the same thing you are trying to keep away from will likely compromise your judgment. Even if you are able to restrain yourself, being with friends who are still alcohol and drug abusers will create a lot of unnecessary pressure. The easiest thing to do is to just avoid those situations altogether.
Become Goal-Oriented
To win your battle against addiction, you will need to become goal-oriented so that you learn to take life one day at a time. By setting realistic goals for yourself, you can turn what may seem like an impossible fight into one that is very winnable. For example, rather than setting long-term goals immediately, focus on short-range goals, such as getting through one day or even hour to hour without succumbing to addiction.
Eat Healthy Foods
While working on a program, like those at Awakenings Health and Wellness Centre, you can start eating a healthy diet that will play a key role in helping you overcome addiction. When you eat better, you feel better. It is proven that eating healthy foods helps improve your mood, which helps you deal with and reduce stress and anxiety in ways that are much better than turning to drugs or alcohol. For example, by eliminating many processed foods from your diet and eating whole foods instead, you can increase brain function and overall memory, while gaining essential vitamins and nutrients. It also helps your body flush out toxins.
Start an Exercise Routine
While improving your mind, you should also improve your physical health by getting into the habit of exercising regularly. This can be anything from a brisk walk in the morning to weight lifting, jogging, or doing some push-ups. Whatever you choose, it will get you stronger physically while also releasing endorphins and even dopamine that elevates your mood.
Surround Yourself with Positivity
Finally, choose to surround yourself with positive people and place yourself in positive situations. Since the last thing you want to do is relapse, build up a network of friends and family members you can lean on when you need extra support during tough times. By having people you can count on, you will increase your self-worth and improve your chances of winning your addiction battle. Make sure that they are willing to take a call in the middle of the night if needed. Also that they are willing to follow up with you regularly. Not only are those types of people worth keeping in around, but you know they will always have your back, even if you have a relapse.
One of the most powerful enemies to addiction recovery is isolation and secrecy. One part of alcohol and drug counseling is being able to share your addiction with other people in order to take away the power of the addiction. This means that you will have to be a part of a community for your recovery to be effective. Isolating yourself has negative potential results. You have to be involved in a community for your drug and alcohol counseling to effectively work.
You Are Not Alone
While it may take a few weeks for you to incorporate these habits into your daily routine, doing so will make you stronger physically and mentally, increasing the odds you will win your fight against addiction. The biggest thing to remember is that you are not alone on your path to a new life. There have been others to go before you and many who will follow and all along the way there will be friends and family that will cheer you on and celebrate your progress and successes. You are worth it.
The path to sobriety is not easy, but it is very rewarding. You will find more about yourself than you thought you knew. You will find that you are stronger than you believed. And most importantly, you will find a new purpose, drive, and passion. Discover new heights, remember that the only way from addiction is up. And the higher you go, the greater the possibilities.