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Congratulations on getting clean. Freeing yourself from the shackles of drug and substance abuse is no mean feat.
With the relapse rate at 40 to 60%, the fight isn’t over! Staying clean is another obstacle in its own right.
Reentering society after a successful stint at an addiction rehab center is always challenging for anyone. Avoiding the mistakes that got you addicted in the first place will be critical to your sobriety.
With tips and guidelines to avoid mistakes in addiction recovery, your journey to an addiction-free life begins.
But what are the most common mistakes made by recovering addicts, and how do you avoid them? Read on to find out.
1. Comparing Your Recovery to Someone Else’s
Understanding that there’s no identical addiction is critical to maintaining your sobriety. Because you suffer from the same type of addiction doesn’t mean what works for the other person will work for you.
Your addictions journey is personal to you, and you alone can walk the journey. You may be struggling with your recovery process, while other people will seem to be doing very fine. This might cause you anxiety and stress.
Don’t compare yourself to other addicts, and avoid feeling like a failure.
2. Thinking You’re Cured
After successfully going through the steps in your program, you may feel you’ve achieved your goal. While this might be true, you need to understand that addiction isn’t a one-step process. Getting clean is the first step; even with a naltrexone implant in place, don’t assume you’re cured.
Avoid being complacent and continue following all the necessary steps you established with your addictions counsellor. This will ensure you manage your addiction and stay on track with your sobriety. Implement the right addiction recovery strategy like attending AA and NA meetings.
3. Having Unrealistically High Expectation
Avoid getting out of an addiction rehab center with high expectations.
Life doesn’t stop and wait for you when you seek drug addiction treatments. Your old friends go on with life, and they might even replace you.
Know that getting clean is your achievement. Don’t expect to be celebrated by the people around you. This will help keep your expectations at a bearable level.
If you manage your expectations, you lower your chances of frustration and chances of relapsing.
4. Detach Yourself From Friends and Places That Contributed to Your Addiction
With your clean status, consider detaching yourself from the things that contributed to your addiction. Avoid frequenting the places that you were a regular customer and reconsider friendship ties with your old buddies. This way, you reduce the chances of a relapse.
5. Get a Sponsor
If you don’t have a sponsor, get one.
Sponsors will offer you sound advice and be there to pick you up when you need them to. Keeping close contact with your sponsor will be an advantage to your sobriety.
Practicing self-care in recovery is one of the important parts of addiction recovery. When you are trying to overcome an addiction and get back to living a healthy life, you need all the tools available to you. Self-care is one such tool that can help you by keeping your mind and body healthy while you work on changing your behavior patterns and learning new ways of coping with stress and handling difficult emotions.
Avoid Making Mistakes in Addiction Recovery
By avoiding making mistakes in addiction recovery, your chances of remaining clean will increase. Live a productive life now that you’re clean.
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