The transition from treatment to early recovery comes with many new challenges. You may experience intense cravings, discover new triggers, and struggle to cope with distressing situations. To prepare for these challenges, you must implement significant changes in your life. These changes will vary depending on your situation but may include finding a new place to live, creating a new social circle, and getting a new or different job.
Though changes such as these may feel daunting, take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Making these adjustments is one of the many reasons support systems are crucial. Your addiction treatment facility and peers in recovery can help you implement these changes. Ask your therapist or case manager how to prepare for these changes before entering early recovery.
Significant changes are necessary for anyone in recovery from addiction, whether it's a substance use disorder (SUD) or behavioral addiction. Anytime mental health and healing are involved, changes are necessary.
For example, individuals struggling with SUD often struggle with co-occurring disorders because mental illness and addiction are closely related. Those with co-occurring disorders like anxiety or depression may use substances to cope. That, in turn, leads to SUD. Or mental illness symptoms can result from SUD.
When co-occurring disorders appear, dual diagnosis is necessary. A dual diagnosis helps you treat all conditions simultaneously. This kind of treatment is vital if you want to achieve and sustain recovery long-term.
You may need to make changes to your mental health. That may include prioritizing self-care, attending individual or group counseling, or cutting out toxic people who cause harm to your well-being.
As mentioned, life post-treatment will come with many challenges. Transitioning from treatment to early recovery requires a lot of support, guidance, and structure. Creating a daily routine for yourself is vital to maintaining sobriety and avoiding the pitfalls of early sobriety. That routine may consist of waking up early, taking daily walks, eating clean, and attending support group meetings.
As mentioned, changes may also need to be made regarding your mental health, including prioritizing self-care. Self-care is vital because it allows you to improve your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, reduce mental health symptoms, and maintain recovery.
Different methods of self-care you can prioritize for your recovery include:
The fun thing about self-care is that you can experiment with different practices. Spend time during treatment trying various things and discover what works well for you. Then, when you leave treatment, focus on implementing them into your daily routine. These methods may also aid in avoiding the various pitfalls of early recovery that can lead to relapse.
It is vital to recognize that early recovery comes with many pitfalls. Avoiding those pitfalls requires you to avoid triggers such as:
Pitfalls like these and more can jeopardize your sobriety and increase the risks of relapse. Therefore, you may need to make major life changes to manage these triggers.
People relapse for several reasons, but exposure to the abovementioned triggers during early recovery may increase the risk. Ironically enough, some of the methods for preventing relapse are similar to the self-care practices listed above. They include:
There is no sure way to avoid relapse, but consider these tips when creating a recovery or relapse prevention plan.
Now that you understand a little more about life post-treatment, risks of relapse, and potential pitfalls in early recovery, you can consider changes you need to make.
The first change to consider is location. Do you need to move back home or relocate because you lived with a toxic partner or roommates who continue using substances? Finding a new place may be the first and most important change.
Next, determine if you want to return to your old job or pursue a new one. Consider this during treatment and ask your case manager for counsel and guidance as you begin a new job search.
You may also need to cut out old friends or end relationships to maintain sobriety in early recovery. Your support system can help you through the transition.
These changes feel like big asks, but they can make all the difference in whether you stay on the path of recovery. So don't shy away from change, and don't be scared to ask for help.
Many people struggle with substance use disorder (SUD), behavioral addictions, and several co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety or depression. Despite the mental health crisis, many take too long to seek treatment. For those who do seek help, life post-treatment can be scary. Early recovery comes with many new challenges, and to maintain sobriety, you might need to make some major changes. That may include finding a new place to live, pursuing a new job, and ending old relationships. Thankfully, you can get through these changes with the help of your care team, friends, family, and a network of supportive peers. Call NorthStar Transitions at (303) 558-6400 to learn more about the changes in early recovery or seek treatment.
