After dealing with a hard addiction for a long time, you might feel like your life is in shambles. During the worst times of your addiction, you might have lost your job or even some of your closest friends. It is common for people to feel like they are suddenly waking up to a major mess as they stop using drugs or alcohol. After all, addiction has a disturbing way of making people overlook their priorities and spend all of their time, money and attention on their drug of choice. Staring at the aftermath of your behaviors is overwhelming, and you might be wondering how to rebuild your life after a hard addiction. Taking the perspective that this represents an opportunity to make your life better than it ever was before can help you maintain motivation for staying sober.
Start By Identifying and Addressing Any Challenges
You’ll start rebuilding your life while you are in drug rehab. Treatment programs tend to target the areas in your life where you feel the weakest so that you can build them up to be strong enough to withstand temptation. During rehab, you’ll find out if you coexisting mental health issues that impact how you live your life. For example, someone with anxiety might need to use what they learn in therapy to feel comfortable going on job interviews or trying new things. You may also have challenges that include having a weak support network. If you’ve damaged relationships with your family members, then you can attend counseling sessions that make it possible to renew your bond.
As part of your treatment, you will work with a counselor who helps you develop a plan for establishing good habits once you leave the program. You’ll also benefit from the following types of support.
- career counseling and assistance with a job search
- opportunities to practice good communication skills
- guidance with finding a safe and supportive living situation
- assistance with developing a relapse prevention plan
Think About Your Previous Interests and Goals
Most likely, you had a rich and full life before drugs took over. Now, you’ll need to dig deep within yourself to find out what you want to do. Some people take a little time for themselves before going straight back to work after they get out of rehab. If this sounds good to you, then you can use the spare time to attend outpatient group counseling for your addiction. Others find that having the stability of a set work schedule helps them stay sober. These are things that only you can answer for yourself, but your counselors will help you come to a decision during your stay at rehab.
It also helps to think about what you used to enjoy. Did you used to enjoy working out or playing sports before you started using drugs or alcohol? If so, then you might want to join a gym or sign up for an adult sports league. Staying busy helps you to avoid giving into cravings. Whether you love arts and crafts, dancing or just going for long walks outside, tapping into your interests can help you meet other people who have fun in sobriety. This can help you to establish a new group of friends while also nurturing your body and mind.
Define Each Step With an Action Plan
Rebuilding your life takes time, and it helps to view it as a step-by-step process. Outlining your steps helps you to avoid feeling so overwhelmed since you can break things down into manageable actions. For example, you might simply choose to make the first step towards finding a new job to do an online search. Alternatively, you might plan to tour a college if you plan to go back to school. While your action plan may change over time, you’ll feel good every time that you get to check off a milestone or look at how far you’ve come. If you’re not sure what to put in your action plan, then ask your drug rehab counselor to help. Goal setting is an effective way to make faster progress in rebuilding your life.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by how much damage an addiction has done to your life? If so, then we have what you need to start feeling better. Reach out to our counselors today at (833) 922-2653. We’ll help you take the first steps towards living a fulfilling life that brings you joy.
