Making the decision to embrace sobriety is a monumental step taken towards living a healthier and happier life for those struggling with ongoing drug or alcohol use. However, since recovery is truly a journey and not a destination, both becoming and remaining sober is not without its challenges.
Many individuals who attempt to get sober on their own face a high risk of relapse, along with a lack of support to lean on during such a difficult time. Additionally, even for those who engage with professional treatment services, recent studies, and meta-analyses demonstrate that anywhere from 40 to 60% of people relapse after attending treatment, underscoring the vital importance of a robust, long-term treatment plan for addiction care.
Potential Pitfalls of Self-Recovery: Why Professional Support Is Critical
While the desire to become sober is commendable, attempting to navigate all the complexities of addiction without the proper support can be exceptionally daunting. Addiction is a complex and multifaceted condition, one that often requires comprehensive care in order to be successful. Many individuals who try to get sober by themselves are faced with significant obstacles, including:
- Potential co-occurring issues, such as anxiety or depression
- A lack of overall support and/or structure
- Isolation
- Changes in overall functioning and capacity due to ongoing usage
- Potential withdrawal issues
- A lack of effective coping mechanisms for stress
Remember that addiction is not a moral failing, as has so often been depicted in entertainment, but rather is a complex, chronic condition that the American Society of Addiction Medicine defines as, “a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”
As such, the decision to become sober is both admirable and courageous, yet it’s also extremely difficult to do without the assistance of a professional team. Treatment engagement with qualified providers—who can assist in everything from the management of potential withdrawal issues to dual diagnosis treatment, along with collaborating on a long-term recovery plan—provides an excellent path forward into both beginning and maintaining recovery.
The Importance of Ongoing Care
The need for ongoing care is critical for maintaining sobriety, even after completing treatment in a facility. Inpatient rehab programs provide a strong foundation for recovery, providing several levels of care and helping to cultivate new insights and build new coping strategies, but the transition back to everyday life can be overwhelming.
Aftercare programs are able to provide continued support, relapse prevention strategies, and resources to help strengthen and sustain long-term recovery. These programs may include several components, including individual counseling, group therapy, 12-step meetings, and support groups, helping individuals to further integrate the knowledge they acquired during treatment for integration into their daily lives. By participating in aftercare programs, individuals can stay connected to a supportive community and benefit from ongoing guidance and accountability.
Furthermore, a quality aftercare program will help newly-sober individuals to address the issues of relapse and triggers for using constructively, offering the ability to unpack these difficulties in a supportive environment of professionals and peers to form new connections and reinforce treatment ideals towards maintaining an actively-sober lifestyle.
Relapse and Relapse Prevention
As stated above, roughly half of treatment participants will relapse after engaging in treatment services, which can sound like an extremely disheartening statistic to hear. However, it’s also important to place this within several specific contexts in the overall picture of recovery:
Relapse does not signify a failure of sobriety
It’s vital to remember that relapse is considered to be a part of the recovery process, but rather represents both a learning opportunity and a signal to re-examine your current treatment plan at whichever stage in the process you’re in. What’s more, relapse is actually defined as the worsening of a medical condition that has previously improved—and the relapse rates for other conditions, such as high blood pressure, are somewhere between 50 to 70%.
Sobriety is a lifelong journey
As humans, we’re all naturally inclined to view a task with a goal-oriented mindset, one in which we complete the work and move on to the next endeavor. Sobriety, however, is truly a lifelong journey in which the individual continues to learn and grow from their experiences. In light of this, it’s imperative to remember that long-term recovery contains many interwoven components for continued success, from the professional to the personal, and that a relapse does not have to signify a failure in the iterative process of sobriety.
Relapse prevention strategies can help
Relapse prevention, or the process of identifying situations that may place someone at-risk for relapse, can assist individuals in creating a more-robust plan for beginning and maintaining a sober lifestyle. Relapse prevention incorporates both internal (cognitive, or thinking-based) and external (situational, environmental) awareness to better handle challenging circumstances that may lead to usage, and is also a core component of many treatment and aftercare programs.
Strategies For Getting and Staying Sober
Build a support network
Engage with a supportive network of friends, family, and peers who understand and respect your commitment to sobriety. You can also attend support group meetings in your local community—of which there are several iterations to choose from, encompassing everything from 12-step programs, SMART-focused recovery groups, and non-faith-based supports—in order to connect with others navigating the same journey.
Develop healthy coping strategies
Think about the best ways to cope with stressors, difficult emotions, and triggers to use. Engage in activities you find enjoyable and rewarding to channel your energy in a positive direction, which will also help you to feel better about yourself and your choices. If alcohol or drugs were your coping mechanisms before, you’ll need new, healthier coping mechanisms to replace them with.
Establish a structured routine
Work to find a schedule that includes healthy habits and activities. A consistent daily schedule can provide stability, purpose, and a sense of control in your life, all of which are active ingredients to sobriety and the recovery process.
Avoid triggers (both internal and external)
Identify and avoid people, places, and situations that may trigger cravings or temptations, and focus on creating a supportive environment that promotes sobriety. Be aware of the thought patterns that have led to active usage in the past.
Focus on your physical and mental health
Establish self-care practices by prioritizing your physical and mental well-being. Getting regular exercise, eating a balanced nutritional diet, and getting enough sleep can all assist you in your ongoing recovery.
Deal with relapses constructively
Understand that relapses may happen, but that they do not define your sobriety journey. Should a relapse occur, seek support immediately and recommit to your recovery plan, reviewing which areas can be improved or reconsidered. Adjust your strategies accordingly, and remember to be kind to yourself—relapse does not have to be the end of your recovery!
Maintain motivation
Keep your motivation high by setting short and long-term goals in life, while celebrating your achievements and milestones along the way. Engage in activities that inspire and remind you of the positive changes sobriety has brought to your life.
You Don’t Have To Go It Alone
Both beginning and maintaining sobriety require ongoing dedication for success. The journey to long-term recovery doesn’t have to be isolating—and there are several professional and community supports to assist you. Building a strong support network can increase your chances of staying sober and enjoy a fulfilling, substance-free life. Remember that you’re taking proactive steps towards building a brighter, healthier future, and Clear Behavioral Health offers personalized treatment and aftercare options to help you succeed.
