Struggling with substance use may have burned bridges in your past, and now that you have left addiction treatment, the holidays may seem stressful or overwhelming. Additionally, you have been put through a lot with addiction treatment and are now right in line to establish a new connection and rebuild relationships. Don't forget, though, that substance use may have negatively affected your life and the life of others around you before you went through treatment and began your recovery journey. Learning how to apply your focus to maintaining a healthy relationship with others and establishing new connections can make the holidays more joyous, allowing you to rebuild long-term relationships and your social groups.
There are many relationships where interventions are needed when individuals struggle with substance misuse. Substance use disorders can cause increased secrecy, guilt, shame, judgment, and negativity not only for the individual suffering from the substance use disorder, but also for those around them.
Since you went through addiction treatment, you learned how to restore yourself and find a new, healthy meaning in life. However, that doesn’t mean that all of your relationships are repaired. After you finished treatment, you may have found that although your substance use was stopped, you still have to address the core elements of your relationships before healing can begin. If there is any conflict still around, you need to address it before your relationship can be mended.
Lasting recovery requires a commitment to make amends with others and to better yourself. There are over 20 million Americans who have struggled with a substance use disorder. Those dependent on substances find it difficult to maintain honest connections and relationships. They may see the difficulty with holiday events and social outings. If you or your loved one struggle with addiction and notice that your relationship is harmed, making amends in the right way is essential to restoring a healthier life for all involved.
After going through addiction treatment, rebuilding trust with those who hurt around you may at times seem chaotic, but there’s hope. Professional counselors understand addiction and the process of treatment, and they can help you mend any broken relationships. Furthermore, while you have a responsibility to uphold your commitment, you must also remember that your relationships will not automatically be fixed after you leave treatment. Make sure you set realistic expectations for yourself and your relationships about mending them and establishing new connections.
The holidays are the perfect time to consider making amends or building your connections. If you have already started outlining your boundaries and are focused on reestablishing trust, sincere apologies must be made and other healthy actions towards rebuilding your relationships are necessary.
Rebuilding trust with your relationships and establishing new connections takes time and motivation. In treatment, you learned how to communicate effectively. Remember that you can remove yourself from any unhealthy relationship. Since the holidays are times where get-togethers and social outings occur, consider creating your own with your newfound connections from treatment.
Upholding your commitment will show others around you that you’re serious about staying on the path of recovery. This builds trust and forms new lines of support with others who can relate to your situation. When you create a social outing around the holidays, you can ensure that those outings are healthy and won't contribute to a relapse or a negative slip-up.
Use the holidays as a means to strive for a better you. Create new connections and establish your new behavior patterns because those you surround yourself with can help you in your recovery process. Some of the social outings can be formed around different types of relationships that need repairing.
Consider spending time with your spouse or partner, your parents, your children, your friends, and your peers from treatment. Building on your personal relationships and connections creates confidence within yourself and your community. When you build positive relationships, you can help others in similar situations and connect with others who understand you.
Your commitment will help you with rebuilding relationships as you implement the changes in your life. You can improve your relationships by reaching out to the people you want to reconnect with and being honest with them and with yourself. The holidays are good times to look past previous events and initiate contact with friends and family. However, remember that the recovery journey is a journey, and it’s not meant to happen overnight. Be patient with yourself and give your friends and family time to reestablish trust with you.
Relationships and connections are everything after going through treatment. If you want to build new connections or re-establish a broken relationship, NorthStar Transitions can help. We teach you how to grow your social outings during the holidays. We know that you can live positively in the here and now and allow yourself to grow with time after treatment. We know you may feel frustrated, as it is a normal human emotion, but the coping mechanisms learned in addiction treatment can establish new points of view and restore your mindset to help you maintain your commitment. Our team knows how hard going through treatment is. The recovery process can be challenging when it comes to trust. Get the help you and your family deserve. If you or your loved one struggle with substance use and are looking for more information about treatment, reach out to NorthStar Transitions today at (303) 558-6400.