You can start the first year of sobriety confidently following an effective treatment program such as the ones available at Oceanfront Recovery in Laguna Beach, CA. However, if you lived alone before recovery, you may worry about slipping up. Fortunately, there are tools that you can use to help you stay on the right path. What can you do to improve your chances of long-term sober living?
Move Into a Sober Living House
After you finish a drug and alcohol detox program and addiction recovery program, it might make sense to move into a sober living home. You live in a sober living home in a structured, supportive environment free of drugs and alcohol. Many people find this to be an appropriate transition to living on their own again.
In a sober living home, you live with others recovering from drug and alcohol use disorders. You and everyone else living in the home receive responsibilities to help maintain it. This lighter load gives you time to go to meetings or focus on the coping skills you need to recover.
Creating a Routine
During detox and recovery, you maintain a structured schedule. However, you have to create your own routine once you leave Oceanfront Recovery. Once you find a job or go back to school, it’s easier to stay busy and focused. However, in the meantime, it’s important to maintain routines to keep your mind busy and avoid cravings and triggers.
What is your attitude towards recovery? Those who move on and leave drugs and alcohol behind them learn how to fill their time with meaningful habits. It’s up to you whether that means collecting trains, volunteering, gardening, or maintaining a journal. When considering new hobbies, incorporate healthy habits such as exercising or cooking class to make healthy foods.
The Importance of High-Quality Food and Exercise
Alcohol addiction depletes your body of vital nutrients and affects several of your organs, including your brain. For physical and mental recovery, it’s important to eat right and exercise. Eating the right foods helps you rebuild your body and reverse some damage caused by long-term substance use disorders. Exercise can improve your sleep, rebuild your body, and reduce stress. Consult with your health care provider before trying something very strenuous, such as training for a half marathon or rock climbing.
Finding Faith
In the first year of sobriety, many clients turn to spiritual practice to maintain balance and equilibrium. If you were part of a religious community before your substance use disorder, it might be time to revisit your local house of worship. Even if you don’t subscribe to a religion, you can find meaning in meditation and spiritual practices such as yoga and Tai chi.
Participating in a 12-step program such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous can help you stay focused on your recovery. There’s a spiritual element to the meetings held by these groups. You learn to trust in a higher power outside yourself or within yourself. Additionally, incorporating religious practices or affirmations into your daily routine can give sober living new meaning.
Get Help from Others in Recovery
Our rehab aftercare program provides a way to keep in touch with counselors and recovery alumni from Oceanfront Recovery. Rehab aftercare includes group and individual therapy for clients who complete their detox and recovery. Many clients find it less jarring to return to their normal life without leaning on alcohol or other drugs. So, joining our outpatient rehab aftercare program can give you the confidence you need to live your best life.
In the first year of sobriety, you can also begin to rebuild relationships with your family and friends who may have suffered from your alcohol use disorder. It’s important to find trusted allies that can help you avoid triggers and maintain your drug-free, sober living.
Sober Living and Rehab Aftercare at Oceanfront Recovery
At Oceanfront Recovery in Laguna Beach, CA, our sober living and aftercare programs help you ease into the first year of sobriety with all the support you need. Our therapeutic staff can help you get to the bottom of your addiction and deal with co-occurring mental health challenges. Contact us at 877.279.1777 to learn how to start with our alcohol detox program or advance to sober living following your initial recovery program.
