Whether you’re just beginning or ending your road to recovery, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Recovering from alcohol addiction requires special aftercare. It is crucial to take care of yourself mentally and physically. Taking care of yourself entails taking action to change your life for the better
There are a variety of measures you can take to ensure you stay sober. We understand that recovering from alcohol addiction is an emotional rollercoaster at times. There will be ups and downs.
However, just keep in mind that with every down, there is an up on the other side. From pain comes growth and we believe that you can always prevail. Keep reading to learn more about the different ways you can recover from alcohol addiction.
Journaling
Journaling is a fantastic way of coping with stressful thoughts and emotions. Recovering from alcohol addiction means having to work through a wide scope of feelings. Some days you may feel proud of yourself and joyful.
Other days you may feel disconnected from who you are and a little anxious. Please understand that this is all okay. The key to a sober and happy life is to understand that the downs don’t have to keep you down. You can work through the painful moments and prevail.
Keeping a journal can be helpful in many different ways. For example, keeping track of your emotions every day is a great start. Write down how you feel and why. If you find yourself getting anxious, write those thoughts down.
Oftentimes getting our uneasy thoughts and emotions onto paper makes us feel a lot better than we’d expect. Holding emotions in isn’t healthy. It’s important to let yourself feel the negative feelings and healthily release them.
Another helpful way of journaling is finding different prompts online. There are different questions you can ask yourself and then base your writing on that.
Some examples are:
- Think about at least three positive things that happened to you today and write them down. Use as much detail as possible.
- Write a letter to yourself. Make it a love letter and recall what makes you proud to be you.
- If you’re prone to anxiety attacks, write down all the strategies you’ve used in the past that have helped you overcome an attack.
- Write down your favorite quotes or song lyrics that inspire you.
Keeping Active
It’s no secret that exercising is good for you. It allows your body to release endorphins. Endorphins boost your mood. Even a simple walk can help you release endorphins.
Exercising also helps to clear your mind. Recovering from alcohol addiction can take a lot out of your body. It’s important to take care of yourself mentally and physically. If one is off, the other is affected too. Not everyone is a fan of going to the gym and that’s completely okay.
There are many different ways to exercise and release those awesome endorphins. For example, you can take a hike on a beautiful trail. Nature is something that can make a huge difference in how you feel as well. Being around luscious green trees and fresh air does wonders for clearing negative emotions and thoughts.
Other options include taking fitness classes such as kickboxing or Crossfit. There are countless ways for you to incorporate exercise as you work through recovering from alcohol addiction.
Yoga is another method that’s helped, countless people. Yoga postures, known as asanas, help to alleviate physical pain. These yoga postures work to stretch, lengthen, and balance the muscles.
Yoga is also centered around the belief that your body and mind are connected. Many yoga classes begin with choosing an “intention”. For example, let’s say that a particular day you’re struggling with letting something go. You can set your intention as finding peace and then the entire class is centered around achieving that intention and working towards it.
Socializing with Sober Friends
As you’re working through recovering from alcohol addiction, the circle you keep close to you is crucial. If your friends are constantly going out and drinking, how is that going to benefit you? It’s important to surround yourself with healthy relationships centered around sober fun.
There are so many different ways to have fun when you’re sober. You can try out food from different cultures at restaurants with your friends. You can go to an arcade, bowling, rollerblading, etc.
If none of that sounds appealing, you can take a trip to a museum. Still no good? Take a trip somewhere near you that you’ve never been to before and do some exploring. Alcohol recovery is a lot easier with a great group of friends around you.
Be honest with your friends about needing to have sober fun. Supportive friends will not only understand, but they will encourage you to be the best, sober version of yourself. Although going out for drinks may seem tempting, the consequences are nowhere near worth it.
Get a Job
Are you already working or is there a career path you’ve always wanted to try out? This is your time to focus on what you want. Keeping busy is a great way to stay focused on what matters. You want to make sure you take steps each day to help your future self.
Recovering from alcohol addiction allows an addict to start fresh. Everyone goes through their obstacles. Don’t let yours affect your life for the worst. You can completely change your life if you stay sober.
Indeed is a great search engine to use when searching for jobs. You can choose whether you’d like to work part or full time. You can search through different levels of jobs, as well as the proximity to your home.
Setting goals also goes hand in hand with getting a job. Your goal can be to move up within the company or to save a certain amount of money each month. Be clear about your intentions. There are so many positive things that can come from having a job. Make sure to search for a career that you’ll enjoy.
Too many people settle for jobs that don’t make them happy without realizing they can change their circumstances. Perhaps they do realize it but are too scared to change it. Regain control and work towards a goal that’ll fulfill you in the long run.
Keep an Agenda/Clear Schedule
Structure and consistency are key when recovering from alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction can cause chaos in your life. Days may become centered around grabbing a drink. Now is your chance to turn that all around!
You want to make sure to be clear about where your time is going. Invest in an agenda and write out what you have planned for each day. Regardless of whether you’re a recovering addict or not, this is immensely beneficial.
When we’re not clear about where our time is going, we tend to waste it. It’s easy to do a bunch of things that don’t help you or are just plain lazy. Take the time to write down your priority action items for the day and then how you’ll reward yourself for achieving them.
Don’t want to buy an agenda? No worries – just get yourself a Trello board. It’s great online tools that allow you to organize your life by different lists and sections. You can create separate jobs for your personal life and work.
Take Up a New Hobby
Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Does something, in particular, bring you a lot of joy? This can be anything from drawing to working out to taking a dance class. There are so many ways for you to keep busy as you recover from alcohol addiction.
It’s important to incorporate things that make you happy in your life. This may seem obvious, but sometimes we can get caught up in the day-to-day stuff. We forget that life has countless opportunities and resources out there made for us. No matter who you are, you can find something out there for you.
Learning a new skill is not only rewarding, but it’s also a fulfilling process. Watching yourself go from beginner to expert is a pretty awesome feeling. As cliche as it may sound, you need to believe in yourself. With addiction out of your life, there’s a lot more time for you to put to use.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Recovering from alcohol addiction can catapult you into a new, much more beautiful life. You have complete control over what direction you want your life to go in. There are countless ways to not only maintain sobriety but to improve your life overall.
At Granite Mountain Behavioral Health, we’re here to guide you through the entire process. We understand it’s not always easy, but we can promise you that it’ll be worth it. From staying active to journaling, maintaining sobriety is possible.
If you’re ready to start your road to recovery or are interested in an aftercare program, you can contact us here. You can also call us at (877) 389-0412 and talk to one of our alcohol addiction experts. Remember, we’re here for any questions, comments or concerns you may have. We’re waiting for your call!
