Once you’ve begun treating your addiction, you may realize how many of your closest friends were just drinking buddies. It might feel like the people and places that once made up the fabric of your life are now unhealthy for you since you’ve entered your sobriety journey. In actuality, you now have the chance to begin building a supportive network of friendships and relationships that have your best interests in mind. Mindfully entering into your new relationships as a recently sober person will allow you to intentionally build authentic relationships.
How to Create Authentic Relationships
Building authentic relationships for yourself is a necessary step to gaining the adequate support and accountability needed to succeed in recovery. Being authentic in relationships is not always an easy task, but it brings the most rewarding and fulfilling relationships to you.
There are several traits to look for in new potential friends when trying to forge meaningful, authentic relationships. These are the same traits you should focus on bringing out in yourself to be the most authentic you in your relationships:
- Find people who are motivating. In authentic relationships, you and the other person should help each other achieve your respective goals and dreams and help each other think up realistic paths of getting there.
- Find friends with similar interests, values, and beliefs. Having friendships with like-minded people is especially helpful to people in recovery, so they can be with people that relate to and who support their lifestyle choices. Having friends around who share your perspective can help stave off relapse triggers like feeling lonely or isolated.
- Have friends who are there for you and have your back. You want to be sure that your relationships involve people who support you through the hard times, not just the good times. Recovery is not a linear journey, and there will be times of self-doubt along the way that having a friend reassure you through will help you stay true to your sobriety.
- Be sure these people are energizing. You want to be around positive people who make you excited about life and don’t drain your energy.
- Honesty is one of the most important traits to look for when creating authentic relationships. Having honesty at the center of relationships will build a strong foundation of trust and understanding to weather difficult times.
Intentionally creating authentic relationships will help you along your path to recovery. Having meaningful, fulfilling relationships will provide you with the necessary support, motivation, and encouragement to sustain your aspirations to live a sober life full of purpose and strength. If you or a loved one is struggling to get or remain sober, call Avalon Malibu. At Avalon, we offer clients lasting solutions to their mental health and addiction recovery needs through our continuum of holistic and clinical treatment care. If you are ready to take the first steps to create the life you deserve, call us today at (844) 857-5992.
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