Treatment is a time to learn, grow, and heal. Here are the five most important ways to make the most out of treatment so you can live a happy and healthy life in recovery.

Take every opportunity to ask questions: Now is not the time to have any shame or humiliation about asking a “dumb” question. Addiction is a matter of life or death. When it comes to learning how to stay sober and live a lifestyle of recovery, there’s simply no such thing as asking a dumb question. Take every opportunity to ask questions when you have one. Ask therapists and group leaders questions after group. Connect with others to get their opinion. Argue when you don’t understand and need clarification. This is about you, your life, and your ability to stay sober.

Take every opportunity to share: It’s easy to get through treatment without ever opening up emotionally. Putting yourself in a vulnerable place around people you don’t even know is uncomfortable. It is also a life-saver. By holding on to all the emotional pain of the past, you hold onto reasons for your brain to believe it deserves to relapse. Part of the recovery process is the emotional processing. If you got something, anything on your mind that you want to say, confess, complain about, look into, or feel concerned about, raise your hand and share.

Start using the tools you are being given: Recovery is a daily practice for your life. The tools and techniques you are being given through all the different therapies and treatment methods being used in your treatment program aren’t for naught. You can start using them immediately and practicing them a little bit more each day. In recovery, they are called “suggestions”. Taking suggestion is a practice in humility as well as wisdom. You realize that people with more time sober know a bit more about staying sober than you do. If their suggestion has kept them clean, it’s probably worth trying.

Learn about everything you are doing: Treatment is pretty fascinating. Every single part of your programming has been researched for its efficacy in reducing the symptoms of addiction and helping you heal as well as gain new tools for staying sober. Don’t just participate in the activities and scoff “does this even help” because studies will show you that it does. Ask questions and learn about how the different things you are doing is actually changing you from inside out.

Maintain a gratitude list: It’s easy to lose perspective during treatment. Many people think treatment is a vacation, but it isn’t. It takes work to heal and radically change your life. Keep perspective on why you are in treatment working so hard to stay sober by maintaining a gratitude list. Gratitude helps you realize that even the difficult parts have a purpose and the purpose of staying sober is great.

We want your story with addiction to end in recovery. Are you ready to make the change? At Oceanfront Recovery we believe that when you change your story you change your life. For information on our men’s treatment programs for dual diagnosis addiction and mental health, call us today at: (877) 279-1777