Defeating addiction and entering sobriety is extremely difficult to do for most people. When treatment is over, and it’s time to enter back into life, it can sometimes become even harder. The singular focus of early sobriety is no longer there, and on top of that, you have to learn how to be sober all over again in a new set of circumstances. It’s a brand-new experience for that can be uncomfortable at times.
Things get even more complicated when going back to a hometown, re-entering the workforce, or jumping back into other previous responsibilities. When transitioning from a South Bay clients’s recovery facility, there are lots of new things being thrown at you all at once. This may include your family, job, home and even friends. All of these different factors at once can easily become extremely overwhelming for anyone. All of these reasons underly the importance of building a strong foundation in early recovery.
While it sounds like it may be a tough task to take on, it is actually a pretty simple thing to do if you follow the tips below. By following these tips, you’ll be putting the structure you need in place to help you triumph in any situation that you may be faced with while transitioning back into life.
SETTING A DAILY ROUTINE
The first thing you want to do is to simplify your daily activities. Give yourself a chance by starting slow in sobriety. If you try to put too much onto your plate too soon, it becomes easy to fail. This can leave you feeling disappointed, frustrated, depressed and even angry. So the best thing that you can do for yourself while transitioning back into your life is to simplify. Try to eliminate anything that isn’t an essential activity or chore from your schedule. This should be your number one priority for the first 90 days or so. This includes getting heavily involved in AA or any other 12 step support group that you are participating in..
This is due in part to the first three months of transition being the toughest and most critical to your success. This is when there is the highest chance of slipping back into pre-sobriety habits. Simplify your daily schedule to include the essentials and nothing else.
PREPARE YOURSELF
The next thing that you’re going to have to prepare for is dealing with other people. Since you are simplifying your daily routine to help you succeed at sobriety, you may get some negative feedback from people at work, your friends, or even your family. If this happens, just remember, early sobriety is a time to really be focusing on yourself and your recovery. So if there are those around you who are giving you some flak, cut them out of your life until you are comfortable with your sobriety.
Equally important is to build a strong foundation in terms of supportive relationships! A solid recovery community is one of the most crucial components of any recovery foundation and the more energy that you put into building one, the stronger your base in sobriety will be.
Some people may be less than supportive of healthy changes that you make – this may be a sign that they aren’t someone you want to reintroduce to your life! In fact, if it is a true friend or a family member, they will even, more than likely, offer their assistance if you do in fact need help with an aspect of your transition back into life. Just be sure to remember that this transition back into life is about staying focused on your recovery.
TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
Which brings us to our next tip about starting slow in sobriety, don’t forget about you. Of course, the main goal is to have a smooth transition back into life. Since it is all about you, be sure that you take care of yourself during this transitional period. Make sure that you are getting healthy nutrition. Be sure to get enough sleep. Get some exercise and build a recovery routine that you can stick to. Find something to do that makes you happy as well for self-care.
Another healthy idea to incorporate into your routine is to go to the store and get your kitchen stocked with healthy foods. Don’t know how to cook? Not a problem. Go and get yourself a cookbook or start finding recipes online. You will be able to find tons of easy to prepare meals that are simple and quick for you to make on your own. This will aid you in keeping busy, as well as help you with your health.
At the end of the day, be sure to get a full 8 hours of sleep every night. There may be a chance that you will require more sleep in the beginning stages of your sobriety. That is absolutely fine. If this is the case, simply factor that into your daily routine. Just be careful not to spend all your time lying in bed. There are plenty of other things that are more important and require more attention in your early days of recovery.
Be Sure to Attend Your Meetings
Finally, with your South Bay clients’s sober living, be sure that you make all of your meetings. In fact, it is best to make these a priority. They will not only help you de-stress, but they will also provide you with others who are in the same position, or who have been through what you are going through. The people with you in your meetings have the same goals as you; to transition back into life sober. Plus it will give you an outlet that you can vent your stresses and what’s troubling you, without having any negative feedback. Getting active in a 12 step program is one of the best things you can do for yourself when it comes to getting focused on early recovery.
Transitioning back into life after early recovery can be a difficult task. But by keeping things simple, maintaining your health and taking care of yourself, surrounding yourself with positive people who are there to help you from south bay clients’s sober living, and attending all your meetings, it will build the foundation for you to succeed. You will have built a foundation in sobriety that will aid you in your transition back into life. Clarity House Sober Living is here to help!