It has been a long and tough road, but you did it; you became sober and you should be proud of yourself. You now have the rest of your life in front of you, and you are going to face challenges with your sobriety. Knowing and understanding how to deal with these challenges will make it easy to overcome. You can’t think of these challenges as setbacks. You have to think of them as achievable goals, because that is exactly what they are. You have made it through the most difficult part, and nothing can stop you now. There will be several different ways to deal with these little challenges. Here are five tips that you can use to help you stay sober.
Tip #1 – Remain Positive
People often underestimate the power of positive thinking. The human mind is a powerful thing, and thinking positive can easily help anyone overcome any problem, no matter how big or small. There is a difference between thinking this and knowing this. Thinking you can do something has a certain degree of doubt; knowing that you can do something is nothing but positive. When you know that you can overcome something, then you can. Remaining Positive after Rehab, How a Change in Attitude Well Help You Stay Sober can show this in greater detail.
Here’s a condensed version, however: negative thoughts actually produce a negative energy. This is not an energy that can be seen, but it certainly can be felt and guess what negative energy attracts? It attracts negativity. Things like fear, doubt and anxiety can all be traced back to negative thoughts. Positive thoughts work the same exact way. Thinking positive will attract positive energy. It has been scientifically proven that people who have a positive outlook on life are healthier, happier and live a longer life.
Tip #2 – Find an Aftercare Program
You have already made a commitment in your life and now you have to follow through every day. Every single day that you remain sober is an accomplishment; there is no sense in taking a step backwards at this point. An aftercare program can help you overcome all of the little challenges that you will be facing in your life. It is easier to accomplish smaller goals than it is to accomplish larger goals. Taking baby steps is the best way to achieve any goal. An aftercare program will allow you to take these small but important steps and help you with the challenges of sobriety.
Tip #3 – Stay Busy
As each day goes by, it will become easier and easier to remain sober. One of the best ways to remain sober is to keep yourself busy and occupied. This will not allow you to have any time for relapse. Keep yourself occupied with work or take up a new hobby that you truly enjoy. Try to avoid things that frustrate or bother you. If you are thinking about taking up a hobby, it might be a good idea to pursue a physical hobby, which brings us to the next tip!
Tip #4 – Exercise
Exercising is one of the best ways to not only stay busy, but to stay sober. Enjoying a hobby that requires exercise can really help a troubled mind. Many people don’t realize the power that exercising has on the human body. Routine exercise can eliminate almost all anxiety and anxiety leads back to negative thoughts. Once the anxiety has started, it can be difficult to handle it. This is where many people have a relapse, but exercising can help. It can easily burn off all that harmful anxiety and help create positive energy which promotes positive thinking. Exercising will also help your body stay in the best shape after recovery.
Tip #5 – Start a Journal
It may seem like a silly idea at first, but a journal is a powerful tool that can help you stay sober. Everyone needs somebody to talk to, but there will be times when no one is around. These are the times when most people relapse. Your journal will always be there for you and it is a great way to put your thoughts on paper and clear them out of your mind. You can even use your journal to set goals, for example. Set small easy to accomplish goals and each time you achieve the goal, you will feel better about yourself. Your journal will also be a great vehicle to see all of the wonderful steps you have taken towards recovery.
These five tips are an excellent way to not only stay sober, but enjoy a sober life. You are never alone; there is always someone there to help. Check out http://www.drug-rehab.org/ for further information on addiction recovery.
Also check out these 28, 30, 60, and 90 day recovery programs.
About the Author: Josh Jones is a contributing author who has been clean 10 years. He keeps a journal on a regular basis.
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