Being sober and in recovery is not all it is cracked up to be for most people. It takes a long time to adhere to this ‘new normal’ and begin to shift life into a different gear. When people are new to sobriety, they have lots of challenges facing them. It requires a leap of faith to move forward and find hope and healing. When a person takes that leap, they might need some tips to help them find their way around this new season of life.
Be Honest
It is difficult to tell people about drinking behavior, but equally difficult to live in isolation. Coping with isolation is difficult because it feels like nobody sees or nobody cares about the situation. It is a relief to tell someone that is trusted about what is going on, especially when new to sobriety and recovery. There is a lot that shifts and changes so finding support is key.
Write it Down
Even though writing is not everyone’s favorite, there are many ways to do this. Anonymous blogging, sharing things online in snippets, writing poetry, sharing in a journal that nobody else sees, and other ways to get out feelings. Sobriety and being in recovery is about figuring out things and moving forward. Therapeutically, writing is healing in a way that allows the mind to process that is going on, sort through it, and figure out a way to move forward from all that is going on and shifting.
Find a Hobby
It is difficult to find a sober activity to do because there is so much spare time that people start to think about the ‘good ole days’ and it leads to relapse. It is important to stay busy in early recovery. This means going to the gym, taking art class, or writing. Eventually, things shift, and those hobbies take on a life of their own. People who are sober will be part of those activities and will encourage that as well as just rebuild a life that is positive and forward-thinking, which is of good support mentally.
One Day at a Time
It is repeated over and over again in sobriety, but people can only move one day at a time. One step, one day, one movement towards not drinking or using drugs that day. It is about making a choice that morning. The days will be longer, which means more is required to focus on intentionally not thinking about or using drugs and alcohol. Only thing one step at a time, one day at a time. This will help keep people on track towards a better recovery.
Work It
In the midst of everything, the best advice for a healing journey in recovery is to do the work. Day after day, minute by minute. Do the work and don’t focus on what cannot be done. Little things are vital to recovery. Most people need to do them for sobriety. Every minute of every day is doing work for healing emotionally, mentally, and physically. The healing work is putting in the effort to stay strong and positive, in spite of what other people say or do. That is the true work of recovery.
The Guest House works to help people find a center point on which to ground their recovery. We developed principles to live by in recovery so that you can find who you are without substances and underneath a mental health diagnosis. We are here to help you recover your life. Call us to find out more: 855-483-7800.