After you spend time in rehab, you can start to have hope for the future and look forward to the freedom you’ve already experienced after becoming clean. When you have a positive experience in rehab, you can feel empowered to start a new chapter and regain control of your life.
You’re now equipped with the right tools and resources to take the next step forward without suffering from an addiction. One of the main challenges that come with leaving rehab is keeping yourself accountable as you return to the real world. You’ll no longer have access to professionals each day and will spend time in new settings where triggers may be present. There are a few tips to follow to ensure you can remain clean and avoid relapsing.
Spend Time with Clean Friends
It can be challenging to avoid going back to drugs or alcohol if you’re not spending time with clean people that you trust. It’s important to avoid contact with individuals who are struggling with addictions to ensure you can have accountability with the people you’re around each day. Having a support system is crucial to ensure you can remain focused and avoid putting yourself in situations that can tempt you to relapse.
This may require finding new friends who are positive influences and don’t struggle with substance abuse. You should invest your time in people you want to be like to ensure you can be influenced by the right individuals. Remaining social is an important part of sobriety and will help you to avoid feeling alone, which can trigger drug or alcohol use.
Find New Hobbies and Passions
It can be easy to think about going back to drugs or alcohol if you aren’t looking forward to other things in life. Make it a point to find new hobbies and activities that give you purpose and allow you to feel fulfilled. This may require taking classes or courses to discover what you enjoy, whether you try your hand at making pottery or playing tennis. Think about how you used to spend your time before you struggled with substance abuse or the activities you enjoyed as a young child. This can offer insight into what hobbies you can enjoy now that you’ve regained your life back and are looking toward the future.
Maintain Your Health
One of the best ways to feel good about yourself and avoid going back to addiction is to work hard to maintain your health. Start by incorporating the right foods into your diet and cutting out processed foods or sugar, which can impact your moods and mental health. Eating clean and nutritious whole foods can increase your energy levels and allow you to feel good in your skin.
Exercising should also be an important part of your routine and will release endorphins to ensure you have a way of rewarding the neurotransmitters in your brain without resorting to using drugs or alcohol. Find activities you enjoy that help you to stay active to avoid viewing them as a chore or something you have to do throughout the week. This may include playing basketball, running, cycling, and weight training.
Spend Time Journaling
Journaling is a positive way of coping with your feelings and processing your emotions in different stages of life. Understand that there will still be struggles in life, and you should be prepared to tackle the challenges in different ways without returning to substance abuse. Spend time each day writing down your emotions and feelings, which can make them easier to process and will help you to remain honest to yourself. Journaling has a long list of benefits, which includes allowing you to track the progress you make.
When you look back on your previous entries, it can allow you to realize how much strength you have and can allow you to continue moving forward. It’s also a great way to regain your self-confidence and help you to forgive yourself and other people. You can also use the journal as a way to write down your future goals. This may include going back to school, paying off debt, or starting a new career. Writing down your goals can allow you to stay accountable to them and focus on them more both now and in the future.
If you want to learn more about how to hold yourself accountable after rehab, you can reach out to our counselors today. Contact us at 302-842-2390 to get started.
