Recovering from addiction is not an easy journey. As you strive to get your life back on track, you are bound to make mistakes on the way. And while that is common, the important thing is to learn how to form healthier habits that motivate you to recover from an addiction. On your sobriety journey, here are a few mistakes you can avoid according to http://oceansrecovery.com/.
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Thinking You Can Overcome Addiction by Yourself
You may assume you can overcome an addiction on your own, especially if you want to retain control over your situation. However, by refusing help or not asking for it, you are not really addressing issues like the causes of addiction. That means your treatment and recovery journey may not be successful, unlike if you have gone to a recovery center. When you accept help, you agree to be held accountable. If you do not feel like you can manage to stay sober today, you will have people holding your hand and pushing you to get through the day.
Spending Time with Friends that Use Substances or Drink
While you may be tempted to spend time with your friends who are drinking and using drugs, it is not a good idea. You may try to convince yourself you will not be affected by what they do, but that is not true. Everyone can be influenced by the actions of the people around them. Therefore, do not assume you are an exception to that rule. You may get lonely at first, especially if the people using them are some of your close friends. However, try and avoid people or circumstances that can trigger a relapse.
Having Unrealistic Expectations
Recovering from an addiction is challenging, and each person does it on their own timeline. People’s experiences of drugs and recovery are different. For instance, a person with a dual diagnosis has more to work on than someone dealing with drug addiction alone. If you get into a recovery program and give yourself an unrealistic timeline, you might fail and feel demotivated. Some of the unrealistic expectations people have to include:
- Recovery is an uphill journey with no setbacks.
- The recovery process is quick, and once done with treatment, you will be fine.
- After treatment, there will be no triggers.
- After treatment, your life will go back to the way it used to be.
The truth is, recovery has a lot of challenges even when you put in the best of your efforts. However, being persistent is what helps people achieve complete sobriety.
Being Complacent Because Things are Going Well
When a person’s recovery process seems to be going well, most people get complacent. This is common when someone has hit about nine months with no setbacks. Here, you might start thinking you can take shortcuts, like skipping support group meetings or refusing to take medication. However, it is advisable not to miss any part of your recovery plan. The reason why most people fully recover is that they commit fully to the recovery plan.
Expecting Too Much from Others
Ideally, your family members should participate in family therapy as part of your recovery process. In such sessions, people are usually taught how they can communicate with each other and set boundaries. However, it is not always that your family members will attend group therapy for reasons like work or school. This means your family members and friends may not be supportive as much as you want them to be. You can request more support, but you should be ready for any response. Do not expect them to comply with your wishes or get angry when they do not. You will become miserable. Realize that you can only control your actions, and that is trying to stay sober.
No one has a smooth recovery process without making mistakes. However, knowing what common mistakes people make can help you avoid them.
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