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Addressing and overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol is a taxing experience, and the ongoing process will have many ups and downs. It is essential that each person find their own methods of maintaining motivation throughout the process and maintain sobriety after one’s treatment program has ended. Motivation is a critical part of every step of recovery and helps keep each person moving to reach their next goal or milestone in their sobriety. However, it is also common for an individual to harbor some resentments or reluctance to participate in a recovery program or be less than enthusiastic about many therapeutic approaches. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is an approach designed to help an individual become better equipped to move through a recovery program successfully and find a personal stake in recovery and reason for achieving sobriety.

We now recognize that cigarette smoking is not the harmless pastime that it was once touted to be. In the world of addiction recovery, it is even more important to keep a close eye on the use of nicotine and cigarette smoking. With cigarette smoking, a common companion to substance abuse, many entering into addiction recovery may think it is too overwhelming to give up smoking and drugs all at once. However, the benefits of putting down cigarettes while in addiction recovery should be a consideration.

Rehabilitation programs do an excellent job of orienting you to a daily routine that keeps you accountable for your commitment to substance abuse recovery. After you’ve left the comfort and safety of a facility, finding a new routine is one of the main keys to maintaining the success you’ve achieved from treatment and continuing your journey toward sober living. The emotions one feels in these early days of recovery are anything but easy, and having a plan of what to do when painful emotions surface helps reduce any chances of backsliding. Finding the right approach for you when effectively managing the turbulent emotions in early recovery takes time. Everyone will have their unique formula of what works best for them. If you don’t know your preferred coping mechanisms, the list below details some good places to start calming any anxious thoughts about substances that arise.

The SODA technique may be a beneficial tool to implement into your daily life if you struggle with anxiety. This method is used to reframe a situation or negative thought, and it’s a very simple way to bring in mindfulness and de-escalate anxious thoughts and feelings surrounding a given situation (and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with drinking something!) SODA refers to the acronym stop, observe, detach and affirm, and practicing SODA helps to bring the out-of-proportion and exaggerated thoughts typical to anxiety back into a more balanced view. By following and practicing each step, you can build more awareness of your inner thoughts, evaluate your mindset and create a more positive, optimistic attitude. Thoughts are an extremely powerful component of what we feel and how we behave, so it is through changing your thoughts that you can ultimately change any behaviors that do not serve your greatest good.

Maybe you’ve never heard of the terms internal or external locus of control, but you likely identify with either believing you are responsible for making life happen for yourself, or that life happens to you. In essence, that is what internal versus external locus of control means, and knowing which you identify with can explain your actions and reactions in life. Adopting the belief that you make things happen will positively affect your mental health while believing that things that happen to you will have the opposite effect.

If you or someone you love engages in self-injurious behavior, a mental illness could be the underlying cause. Finding the right help to stop self-harming and addressing any influential factors like mental illness or substance abuse is necessary since the individual lacks the impulse control to effectively stop themselves from continuing this behavior and hurting themselves.

Everyone experiences days when emotions are heavy, and they feel the need to unload the stress that is overwhelming them. However, how often this occurs and how they unpack their emotions also affects the emotional well-being of loved ones around them. Understanding the difference between positive venting and emotional dumping is important to maintaining healthy, emotionally sound relationships.

In each individual’s journey to sobriety, the recovery process can present many difficult and unique hurdles. Not only is it important to address one’s relationship with drugs or alcohol and learn how to cope with urges, but each individual is also asked to confront feelings of shame or guilt and address the complex nature of their changing relationships. One of the most profound parts of tackling addiction is the relationships that may have become strained due to drug or alcohol use. Because of this, forgiveness is a crucial part of the recovery process, both in learning to forgive others and oneself. It is essential for both those in the recovery program and supporters to explore the profound nature of forgiveness. However, that doesn’t mean that forgiveness will come at the same time for each person. Learning the different ways in which forgiveness can be explored and why such a practice is so essential can create the necessary space for further growth both inside and outside of the recovery sphere.

Breakups are always difficult, but if you identify with being in a codependent relationship, a breakup can feel catastrophic. Getting out of a codependent relationship is a big step since you are finally stepping away from a toxic relationship that was fueling your dysfunctional behavior and fears. Taking a leap of faith and getting out of that codependent relationship is challenging but worth the effort.

With concerts, festivals, and other gatherings now being scheduled again, the challenge of navigating social events without drinking or using them once again arises. These situations often feel triggering, especially for individuals in early recovery. For some, this may be their first time attending social events sober if they recently entered recovery sometime in the past year during the pandemic. Mentally preparing yourself before attending one of these social events is the first step to being ready for the emotions that might come up. Before you get to the event, visualize yourself having a good time and being fun without needing alcohol or drugs. Take out any of the false beliefs in your mind that you will feel isolated or everyone will notice that you aren’t drinking. Choose your intention for the event, like catching up with old friends and enjoying their company or wanting to dance all night long. Once you’ve mentally prepared yourself to feel comfortable not drinking, follow some of the tips below at the event:

You don’t have to rely on seeing your therapist experience the benefits of hypnosis. By practicing self-hypnosis, you can improve your behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs about yourself and your success in recovery. Learning how to use self-hypnosis as a tool for healing in recovery will allow you to gain better control over your thoughts and experience deep relaxation along the way.

When it comes to recovery, it is a mistake to think that having strong enough willpower alone is the secret to overcoming a substance use disorder (SUD.) Finding the right comprehensive treatment for you is key to sustaining a long and happy sober life. Certainly, willpower is a piece of the puzzle, but there are other pieces one needs to persevere through the daily challenges of cravings, triggers, and temptations.