Congratulations on making it to your new beginning and starting your recovery journey! If you’re just coming out of rehab, you’ve already come a long way toward a happier life and next chapter. This doesn’t mean change isn’t hard and that new beginnings can’t be scary. If you’re fresh out of rehab and wondering how to start over, here are a few ways to get back on track and lessen the chance of relapse. For steps to take early on in recovery, read on.
Finding New Purpose
One of the best first steps you can make toward a new and sober life is to find your purpose. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. Start with thinking about your skills and the things you love.
Maybe you’ve always been great at picking up useful home improvement projects and are handy with tools. Perhaps you grew up in Vermont and spent summers working with your grandfather who was a cabinet maker in New York. Between the time you helped your father put a new deck on the back of the house and all those hours in your grandfather’s shop, you learned a trick or two when it comes to carpentry and DIY projects. If this is you, why not start a new job as a carpenter or carpenter’s helper?
Regardless of the work you did before, sobriety has offered you a new beginning. If you sold real estate in the past, but got sick of the rat race, now could be a great time to open a home improvement company, work in landscaping to fix a home’s curb appeal, or even dedicating your skills to the local senior center for renovations to their shared living area.
Ask yourself about the types of hobbies you enjoyed before you got hooked on beer or other substances. If you loved spending weekends or the winter months in Aspen on the slopes, why not become a ski instructor? The trick in finding purpose is finding what you naturally love and putting it to work for you. A person with great kayak skills could easily find great passion for becoming a white water rafting instructor, and so on. Consider what activities you enjoyed before your addiction to identify your life’s purpose.
New Ways to Have Fun
There’s no simple answer to how to stay sober and still have fun but it starts with surrounding yourself with people who support your sobriety. Don’t make the mistake of going back to old routines and the social life that got you into substance abuse in the first place. Avoid social situations that might trigger you and find ways to make time for fun activities with people who support the clean you.
A great option in early recovery might be a trip with sober friends for the weekend. Getting away and into nature can be not only peaceful, but a gentle way to practice being back out in the community around temptations. Consider spending time in great places with small groups of people. Larger groups or crowds could trigger anxiety or cause unnecessary triggers. Stick with friends or family members you trust to help you stay sober. Be transparent with them that you’re early in your recovery and may need a little shove in the right direction.
Erasing Triggers
In rehab, you likely learned to identify your triggers. For some, it’s an easier thing to do than for others. Some addicts have permanent tattoos on their bodies that remind them of a party life they hope to leave behind. If this is you and you have discomfort looking at your hometown Texan tattoo with the alcoholic bottle, consider calling someplace like Austin tattoo removal for rates.
If you can’t afford to have the ink removed, ask about other creative ways to transform your tattoo into something that honors your latest achievement of sobriety. Or, consider something that might inspire you when tempted or triggered. What about an AA chip, to cover the habit you’ve replaced with new purpose? A butterfly symbolizes rebirth. A phoenix shows courage, as they rise from ashes. Be creative about how you repurpose that body art.
Pet Therapy and Companionship
As you set off into your new life, think about getting a companion. A rescue pup could be the perfect solution to the perfectly normal feelings of isolation and anxiety you might be experiencing. Spending time caring for your new best friend, working on your purpose, and planning a few dog-friendly winter vacations could be just the trick in helping you keep your mind off your former addiction.
At the end of the day, the beginning of your new life began the day you walked into rehab. Since then, you’ve managed to prove to yourself that you can live sober. While there have been bad days and good, you’ve made it this far and have shown the world and yourself you can do it.
Bad days will come again and hard days might be triggering. In setting yourself up with a good support system, a new sense of purpose, and a pet who relies on you, you’ll have your best chance at remaining sober. With too much to lose to go back, your path now is directly ahead to a brighter and healthier future. Congratulations, again, on your decision to live sober!