By When you think about it, going to treatment for 30, 60, 90 days, or longer is just the first step in the path toward recovery. Who’s to say that coming out on the other side of treatment, every person has a solid grasp on everything they need to know to live a life of sobriety? Maybe some individuals have such a solid understanding and glide into recovery with no problems or recurring issues. However, that’s not the case with most people in recovery.For some, the issues are minor and easily dealt with. It could have to do with scheduling time, prioritizing responsibilities, getting needed medical attention, or going back to work. That’s not to say that these are always easy to handle. For some people, any one of them could be a major stressor. At StillwaterTreatment rehab facility, they help you understand how to stay sober for life and never let the recovery process stall.
Other problems may involve recurring issues like worsening depression, intense anxiety, suicidal thoughts, overwhelming cravings and urges, inability to sleep, and nightmares every night. There is no sense allowing these things to continue, thinking that they’ll just go away on their own. They won’t. You need to get professional help to deal with problems that are threatening to sabotage your recovery.
If you need additional psychological counseling and have continuing care or aftercare as part of your treatment program, by all means, take advantage of it. If you no longer have counseling, call the treatment center and get a referral to a therapist that you can go to for help. Ask for recommendations for free, low-cost, or sliding-fee counseling that may be available as part of federal, state, or local agencies. Ask your doctor for a recommendation. But definitely get professional help so that you can manage emotional or psychological problems that are interfering with your recovery.
If you need medication to help combat anxiety or depression and your doctor prescribes it, be sure to take it exactly as directed. Don’t skip it or quit taking it because you either don’t think it’s working or feel that you don’t need it anymore. Recognize as well that it takes time for the medication to work, and your doctor may need to alter the dose, brand, or frequency of the medication in order to arrive at the right prescription for you.
The next thing to avoid stalling your recovery process is if you believe in a Higher Power. Every person in recovery needs to tap into their spiritual nature in order to reap the maximum benefit in their new clean and sober life.
If you do believe in God or a Higher Power, go to church and pray. If it’s been a long time since you’ve been to church or synagogue, don’t let that stop you. Go and sit in the back. No one will bother you or look sideways at you. A house of worship is just that. People go there to be close to God as they know Him. Maybe you think God forgot about you. Hint: He hasn’t. Just go and have a private conversation with your Higher Power. It’s easier than you think, and it gets easier the more you do it.
But you don’t have to physically go to church to be close to God. Talk to your Higher Power wherever you are. Say a short prayer when you wake up in the morning and before you go to sleep at night. It doesn’t even have to be a recognized prayer. Use your own words. A good suggestion is to express thanks for the gift of sobriety and for His help and blessings today.
Meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, watching a sunset, taking in the beauty of nature on a hike are other ways to find your spiritual side. What you are really doing is getting outside yourself and your daily concerns and tapping into your inner self, your inner spirit. Your spirit is a powerful entity, so enrich it, and your recovery will begin to take off.
