Tips for Staying Sober
At Recovery Care Partner, we offer tools and services to help you get and stay sober. We specialize in interventionists, inpatient rehabs, and post-recovery care. Our strategy has offered long-term sobriety for a number of our clients; despite this, many people have a hard time staying sober. At the end of the day, a large amount of effort has to come from the addicted individual themselves. Going to meetings, being open about your problems, and being aware of your shortcomings can help bolster your recovery and can make you a better person along the way. Below, we’ve compiled a few tips that previous and current clients have found helpful in their process of recovery.
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Find a New Friend Group
Often times, an addict will relapse because they went right back to their old social circle. In an attempt to develop a drug-free and alcohol-free lifestyle, it is counter-productive to hang out with old drinking and using buddies. It can be difficult, but real friends will understand. If they oust you for not drinking, then you can be sure that they were not actual friends anyways. Spending time at meetings and performing sober activities with others in recovery can help pave the way for a healthier life.
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Have a Structured Schedule
A disorganized lifestyle can hinder your recovery. Keeping your time and mind occupied with useful and fun activities (such as work, school, exercise, and group activities) can help remind you that you never needed drugs in the first place. Long-term goals have been shown to help maintain sobriety as well. Sit down and think about what you really want from life.
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Post-Treatment Consulting
At Recovery Care Partner, we offer a multitude of post-treatment consultation options. Depending on the severity of your addiction, some people will need
more help than others. Just remember: there is nothing wrong with a little extra help and it is nothing to be ashamed about. We offer sober companions, sober transport to and from AA meetings and school etc., transitional coaching from treatment to the outside world, and recovery care monitoring. We can help provide a structured framework that is different in comparison to treatment or therapy.
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Learn from the Past
Don’t let past mistakes bog you down. Many people that are in early recovery have a lot of baggage and skeletons in the closet. Maybe you caused a significant financial strain on the family or maybe your actions caused a breakup. If you are working a 12-step program, your 4th step can significantly help you and others gain closure on painful events in each other’s past caused by your addiction.
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Exercise
Many people in recovery turn to physical exercise and activities once they get sober. Not only does physical exercise fill your time, it can also create meaningful experiences and relationships. Consider signing up for a gym, starting a new running regimen, or starting a new sport. This could include tennis, intramural sports, group sports, kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, hiking, weightlifting, CrossFit, or anything in-between.
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Career
Getting sober frees up a lot of time. Think about what you want to do with your life! Many people say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Consider going back to school to start a fulfilling career.
Recovery Care Management
Recovery Care Partner is an organization that specializes in pre-treatment, intervention, and post-treatment services for individuals afflicted with addiction. We offer a number of services to help addicts get sober and stay sober in the Philadelphia, South Jersey, Atlanta, Richmond, Greenwich, Baltimore, and Greater Washington DC areas. If you or a loved one is in need of help and is ready to take the next step, give us a call at (855) 727-2887 or visit our contact page today.
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The Importance of Sober Companions
If you or a loved one has made the hard choice to go to inpatient rehab, congratulations! This is the first and most important step in setting up a recovery plan. You’ve put a lot of hard work into getting yourself or a loved one clean, but the work does not end there. Going to rehab is a microcosm of the recovery world. For the most part, your day is scheduled and you are told where to eat, sleep and recover. With release back into the real world, freedom can be overwhelming and sometimes unsettling for a recovering addict. This fear is a normal reaction and should not be feared. However, there are certain things you can do to help prevent a relapse. Over 70-80% of addicts will relapse within 90 days of inpatient rehab, and a sober companion/escort can greatly increase the chances of recovery.
What is a Sober Companion?
A sober companion is a person you can depend on to walk you through demanding situations or social occasions. Often they are someone who has been there, and who has a proven track record of beating the odds.
Someone who has overcome addiction themselves can identify completely with what you are going through and keep you on track towards your goals.
A sober companion can follow you anywhere and everywhere. The fear of adjusting to life outside of an institution can be frightening for some. Many recovering addicts choose to use a sober companion during their first few months out of rehab for this reason. It doesn’t matter if you are from Jersey or Philadelphia. It doesn’t matter if you are from Georgia or Connecticut. Addiction is a disease that does not care where you are from. Sober companions can escort you to and from outpatient facilities, AA meetings, work and school, and so on. On the way to a 12-step meeting, you may feel unnerved and have urges to drink or use drugs. This risk can be mitigated by having a sober companion. Being honest with your companion can be the final piece of the puzzle. You can hire a sober companion to be there full-time or part-time. It depends on the amount of help you need.
Do You Need One?
A sober companion can be called on when you just need someone to talk to. Loneliness or boredom can often drive someone to return to addiction.
Knowing there is someone who understands, and particularly someone who has been through what you are going through or worked with people who have, can help find answers to issues you might be having.
This decision is only one that you can make. It also depends on what the professionals on your team think. From a psychologist to a physician or other sober professional, following their recommendations is usually the best bet. If you are returning to a living situation where a person is still abusing drugs or alcohol, a sober companion may be necessary to help curb cravings or moments of weakness. No matter how strong you feel when you leave rehab, it only takes one slip-up to send yourself tumbling back into the depths of addiction.
Expectations
A good sober companion knows how to keep you sober. Generally speaking, they’re recovering addicts as well and have been in your shoes. Sober companions are often compared to 12-step sponsors and they have many similarities. A great sober companion can help remove drugs and alcohol from your living situation, monitor and keep watch over your behaviors and whom you associate with and encourage healthy habits that you learned in inpatient treatment. Recovery is about a lot more than just detox. Finding out what your triggers are, if you have a dual-diagnosis, and staying sober and happy are just a couple checkpoints that you should go through. Whatever you choose to do, we wish you the best of luck. We offer a one-stop recovery solution and proudly serve the following areas: Philadelphia, South Jersey, Richmond, Atlanta, Greenwich, and the Greater Washington, DC/Baltimore region. Contact us today if you need help with any aspect of your recovery process.
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