Recovery from Addiction

You do have options when it comes to your recovery from addiction.

Recovery from addiction is a long and sometimes difficult road but one that’s well worth the travel.  Recovering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol may take many weeks, months or even years to complete but the end result is a life that’s safe, secure and free from the burdens of addiction.  It’s important to realize that an individual doesn’t recover from addiction simply by not using drugs or alcohol anymore—recovery is a journey into a new life that puts drug and alcohol abuse in the past.

You don’t have to change every detail of your life in order to recover from addiction but it is important to make changes.  The behaviors that tend to get you into trouble or which result in further use of drugs or alcohol must be changed in order to successful recover from addiction.  The people that you do drugs or drink with must either be eliminated from your life or their presence must be limited to ensure your success.

Avoiding High Risk Situations in Recovery

One of the best ways to maintain lasting recovery from addiction is to avoid high risk situations that are likely to cause you to use drugs or alcohol.  To avoid high risk situations, you may need to hang out around different people, work at a different place, live in a different home, or make some other change.  If you don’t ever drink unless you’re at the bar—avoid going to the bar.  If you don’t use drugs unless you are around a particular group of friends—avoid that group of friends.

If you’re feeling stressed out and thinking about using drugs or alcohol, consider taking some time out to distress.  Drugs and alcohol are not necessary to distress.  Try exercise, mediation, playing a game or some other way of occupying your time to avoid stress.

Relaxation is Essential to Recovery

Relaxation is one of the most important factors in recovery.  In fact, thousands of people have found that simply learning how to relax without drugs or alcohol was a key part in their recovery.  But how does one relax without drugs or alcohol?  Try these relaxation techniques:

• Take a walk
• Ride a bike
• Meditation
• Read a book
• Spend time with a favorite pet

Statistics have proven that relaxation can help reduce stress which is one of the high risk triggers that often causes people to use drugs or alcohol.  Relaxation can help you to avoid stress and also to maintain your recovery from addiction.