When you complete a rehab program and get discharged, your concern becomes how to choose the best environment to maintain your sobriety. Many people from rehab centers are vulnerable to relapse if they fail to select an appropriate setting after recovery. However, choosing an optimal environment can produce a solid foundation for your life in recovery.
Just like a negative environment can cause addiction problems, a healthy environment can make you thrive in sobriety and recovery. During addiction treatment, you learned about the significance of a healthy and optimistic environment. However, after completing rehab programs, you need to maintain sobriety by choosing an excellent one.
Below are some tips to help you optimize your environment to maintain long-term sobriety.
Choose a stable and safer place to stay
Once you leave rehab, think about a perfect place that is safe, stable, warm, and comfortable to live. A peaceful environment is one way of avoiding lots of stress that can trigger addiction habits.
Avoid people who may trigger addictive habits
Once you get a healthy environment, you need to protect yourself from people who encourage you into drugs or alcohol. For instance, your former peers might easily weaken your sober lifestyle during your addiction days, either deliberately or unintentionally. Also, consider changing your phone number or removing their contacts from social media to keep a distance from them. You can also decide to establish your boundaries about them.
Find a recovery community
Safety in numbers can help in sobriety if you get involved with a sober community. Interacting with sober friends and family members who can rely on when you experience challenging times will help you thrive in recovery.
Consider networking with your treatment program’s graduates, or joining sober social media groups for former addicts in recovery to associate with like-minded individuals.
Additionally, those who had the chance to meet new members during rehab programs from agencies, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), have an added advantage of maintaining relationships with their group members.
Evaluate your digital environment
Nowadays, social media is everywhere, and many people are currently interacting online due to coronavirus pandemic. Digital platforms will continue improving in the future as a way of communication. However, you need to realize that spending too much time online can disrupt your mental health. For instance, if reading negative news causes anxiety, or social media may connect you to drug addicts or bad company, then limit your time online. Instead, schedule only the appropriate time to use social media or online platforms while ensuring to abide by your schedule.
Establish a routine after recovery
Most people, after recovery rehabs, tend to resume their usual life routines by engaging in lots of activities. They may attend several meetings, rebuild their relationships and career, and begin practicing healthy habits, among others. However, establishing a routine helps ensure you accomplish all you are trying to do to avoid feeling drained. Therefore, creating an excellent routine improves proper organization and predictability, which reduces stress that can create addiction triggers.
A Word from the Recover
Initially, life after rehab that involves adjusting to a sober environment can be discouraging. However, you don’t need to accomplish everything at once. Eventually, you will acquire an optimal sober setting that makes you feel safe, calm, and focused on maintaining long-term sobriety.
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