A residential treatment program is the best way to detox and experience recovery. Once you are sober, the real work begins. Choosing to remain sober is not always easy. Once you are out of a residential program and back home, you will face the triggers that made you begin abusing drugs or alcohol. A sober living program will assist you in developing the coping skills necessary to remain drug and alcohol-free.
At Rise Above Treatment, our sober living program is structured to help you learn how to live in the real world and withstand substances that are harmful to your life. Below are some ways to make sure that you are maintaining sobriety.
Remain An Active Member of a Sober Community
One of the easiest ways to relapse after completing a treatment program is to place yourself in the same environment with the same social circle of people who were part of your past. Placing yourself in the presence of drugs or alcohol with people who could pressure you to abuse substances will cause you to experience a relapse.
To maintain your sobriety, you need to belong to a community of sober people. A network of sober people will support your recovery. In a sober community, there is no access to drugs or alcohol. Instead, the focus is on having fun without substances that were relied on in the past as coping mechanisms.
Examples of sober communities would be church focus groups or structured programs for substance abusers in recovery.
Develop a Relapse Prevention Plan
Have you ever heard the adage: those who fail to plan, plan to fail? Those words could be no truer for someone working hard to maintain their sobriety. A sober community that will support you is the first step in maintaining your sobriety. The next step is to prepare a plan to prevent your relapse.
A relapse prevention plan will include:
- Identifying the triggers that might cause you to start drinking or abusing drugs
- Avoid triggers such as people and places that might make you feel like abusing drugs or alcohol
- Find activities that will redirect your mind when you consider using, such as playing music, practicing yoga, exercising, or creating art.
- Make a list of people within your sober community or your social circle to rely on if you feel close to using. Be sure to contact people on your list before you decide to use it–their purpose is to talk you out of abusing substances.
Register With An Intensive Outpatient Treatment Center
A sober community and a relapse prevention plan are also considered intensive outpatient programs. You can attend the program for a set number of days per week while also receiving treatment benefits, just as when you were a client in a residential treatment program.
The beauty of an intensive outpatient treatment program is you will be able to live on your own and resume your responsibilities while still receiving medical and therapeutic care.
Maintain Physical and Mental Wellness
A huge part of remaining sober is adopting a healthy lifestyle. When you take care of yourself physically and mentally, you are making an effort to remain in good spirits and withstand the presence of triggers.
Taking the time to take daily walks, prepare healthy meals, and participate in activities promoting wellness will help you not abuse drugs or alcohol again.
Deciding to participate in self-care has many benefits, but the greatest is that you commit not to abuse your body as you did when you were abusing substances.
Quit Drinking and Abusing Drugs With Rise Above Treatment
Rise Above Treatment’s mission is to support its clients to get clean and remain sober. Maintaining sobriety means you will have to be focused on identifying and avoiding your triggers while also creating a relapse prevention plan. If you are ready to quit drinking and abusing drugs for good, Rise Above Treatment can support you through the process. Contact us [direct] to begin your journey.
