A sober living facility is an excellent chance to focus on your recovery above everything else. Here are the lessons you will learn as you create a sober life.
Addiction affects over 9.4 percent of the U.S population. This is why so many individuals are seeking out the right lessons and skillsets to help them live a healthy and happy sober life.
Looking to turn over a new life and take your first step towards sobriety? Check out the following skills that can improve your chance of success.
1. Self Care Is Essential to a Sober Life
Self-care is a vital part of achieving a balanced and healthy sober life. Often when attempting to achieve a sober lifestyle we fall into a cycle of guilt and shame.
As a result, we are less likely to tend to our personal needs and care for a mental and physical state.
It’s important to remember that self-care looks different from person to person. For some it may mean having a bit of quiet time to unwind, for others, it’s signing up for an activity or hobby you enjoy.
2. Forgiveness Isn’t Guaranteed
While working your way through the steps of sobriety, you’ll eventually come to the step where you are to request forgiveness from those you’ve wronged in the past.
While many will be happy that you’re taking the right steps to a sober life, you may find some are less than open to forgiving. Part of the process is accepting this and moving on.
Doing your work means accepting responsibility for the wrongs you’ve done and requesting forgiveness, not necessarily being forgiven. It’s important to gracefully accept wherever the other person is on their journey.
3. You May Need to Let Go of Some People
For many recovering addicts, finding a new social circle is essential to success. This is due to the fact that hanging out with your previous social circle often means environments where drinking and drug usage may occur.
The best-case scenario is your friends accept your journey and are willing to redefine what happens within your friendship.
The worst-case scenario is that it’s time to find new friends that coincide with your healthier lifestyle.
Not everyone is made to make the journey with you, but have faith that you’ll find the right people for your new life.
4. Sobriety Is a Daily Choice
Most recovering addicts can think back to the specific moment where they decided to turn their life around and begin their road to recovery. However, this isn’t the only moment you’ll have to choose a life of recovery.
A life of recovery needs to be chosen every day. Just because you’ve chosen a life free of addiction, it doesn’t mean you won’t have days where you crave a drink or want to step back into your old life.
This is why a sober life needs to be repeatedly chosen and your commitment must be consistently reaffirmed.
5. Environment Is Essential
One of the many factors attributing to a successful life of sober living is your environment. This means who you’re surrounded with, stress points, and the visual appeal of what surrounds you.
By investing time and energy in creating an environment that’s nurturing and inspiring, you’ll find it easier to stay on course.
This can be done by moving to a new neighborhood, redecorating your home, or even spending more time outdoors.
By creating a space that brings you clarity, you’ll be less likely to experience the triggers that pull you back to drug or alcohol usage. This plays an essential role in sober living for women and men alike.
6. No Two Recoveries are Alike
While staying at a recovery facility or attending recovery meetings, you’ll hear a number of stories on how different individuals managed to change their lives.
While these stories can offer some valuable insight and advice, it’s important to keep in mind that no two recoveries are alike. We all come from different backgrounds with different experiences. What works for one addict may not work for another.
Keep an open mind but don’t be too hard on yourself if you find that someone else’s advice isn’t helping your own recovery. Simply continue to pursue a life of sobriety until you find what’s right for you.
7. Redeveloping Time Management Skills
Depending on how far your addiction got, there’s a good chance that you spent the majority of your time finding drugs or alcohol or looking for ways to obtain it. When drugs and alcohol are no longer a part of your life, it’s important to find new ways to manage your time.
Finding employment is a smart first step in successful time management as it will require you to be in a specific place at a specific time.
Signing up for classes based on your favorite hobbies or returning to school to further your education will also help you when it comes to time management.
8. Cooking Your Own Food
Cooking your own food is an important skill for anyone to have. However, this still holds particular value for those going through recovery.
Taking the time to find healthy recipes, buy fresh ingredients, and even meal prepare all ways for you to take control of your health on a daily basis. As a result, you’ll be reaffirming your commitment to taking care of your body and mind.
Cooking is also a relaxing hobby that can help you prepare a comfortable night at home, which is essential during the early days of recovery.
Taking Your First Step Toward a Sober Life
Taking the time to develop the right skill set is an essential part of a sober life and one that can benefit you in every area.
By taking the time to research and learn about the various ways to live a cleaner and healthier lifestyle, you’re taking an essential first step towards a life of sobriety. If you’re looking for more information on how to improve your quality of life, be sure to check out our healthy living blog posts.
