How to Stay Sober after Rehab

Achieving Sobriety is Only the Beginning...

Each year, countless addicts find sobriety by all different kinds of treatments, therapies, and spiritual means. However, many of these addicts will falter after becoming sober and a large portion of these newly sobered young men and women will slip back into their old life’s ways of lying, cheating, and stealing in order to support their so-called ‘rehabilitated,’ self-destructive, chemical dependencies.

However, for those who truly want to stay sober and who genuinely seek answers to the questions of, “what comes next,” this time is a crucial one; one that if carefully executed and planned out will result in a long life of success and happiness, completely independent from harmful and addictive behaviors.

For these determined and brave young men and women, it’s all about taking the things they learned from rehab and apply it to their everyday lives.

First Rule of Staying Sober: Structured and Disciplined Living (Remember What Rehab Taught You)

In order for a recovering young addict to remain sober, they first need to remember the importance of regimen. You see, when using and abusing drugs, addicted young people live a life of chaos and reckless abandon. There is no discipline, no structure, and no hope for change.

Without living a life of structure or discipline, there is no hope for one to achieve, let alone continue, living a life of sobriety, plain and simple.

Having said that, it is crucial for newly rehabilitated young people to continue living the structured and disciplined life they learned to live while in rehab. By creating a set schedule to live by, and living a disciplined lifestyle that adheres to this constructive and positive, life-affirming schedule, young men and women greatly improve their chances of retaining and furthering their life-long pursuit of living sober.

This method of living by regimen works for a couple of reasons. The first and obvious reason, of course, is because living a structured and balanced lifestyle builds character and discipline. In other words, this way of living provides young addicts with a perspective and self-worth that will help them in avoiding potential triggers and excuses that previously had enabled their self-destructive, drug-abusing behavior.

The second reason: it provides young addicts fewer options to deviate from their schedule. Essentially, living a life of regimen works as a distraction and keeps the recovering addict's mind sharply focused on the task ahead: staying sober.

By strictly adhering to the healthy, life-affirming distractions that are provided by their structured schedule, recovering addicts are more capable of controlling their impulsivities, temptations and past ‘using behaviors’ that obsessively took control of their mind.

As they say, “A busy mind is a happy mind.”

In the rest of the article, we will discuss helpful tips and provide lifesaving advice for recovering young addicts who desperately want to keep their sobriety after completing a rehabilitation program.

Managing and/or Avoiding Trigger Situations

Upon returning home from a rehabilitation center or residential treatment program, every addict faces what behavioral experts call, 'trigger situations.' Basically, trigger situations are any type of situation that triggers or tempts an addict to start using again. unfortunately, this part of the recovery process is inescapable as every addict is provided with their own individual set of trigger situations that tempt them to return to old, self-destructive habits. These situational triggers vary from person to person, but usually include things like, returning to an old neighborhood, seeing certain friends or family members, or even emotionally charged negative thoughts.

While being tempted by personal trigger situations are unavoidable, a recovering addict fresh out of rehab can choose to avoid or manage their triggers, thus making their chances of staying sober all the more likely.

Here are just a few of ways recovering addicts can avoid their situational triggers:

Utilize Your Support System - Surround yourself with positive influences whose goals in life are supportive or in line with your own. This support system can include family members, co-workers, or even a significant other. Make sure to only utilize a support system that has your best interest, and most importantly, your sobriety, in mind.

Be a "Goal Setter" - Since overcoming addictions and making significant lifestyle changes is such a daunting task, learning how to set and achieve small goals is a crucial skill for any recovering addict. As they say, By setting achievable goals for yourself, you will boost your self-confidence, manage tempting behavior more easily, and add crucial life-skill developments that will really come in handy when trying to build a better life for yourself.

Take care of yourself - Taking care of oneself may sound like common sense, but it is actually a crucial factor that many recovering addicts fail to adhere to after returning home after rehab. Taking care of yourself pertains to eating healthy foods, taking care of your body, getting enough sleep and limiting your associations with friends and family members who support your hard-earned sobriety and clean-living lifestyle. Failure to do any one or more of these examples can easily lead to the development of depression, which, of course, happens to be the leading cause of substance abuse and addiction.

Being Environmentally Conscious: Recycling Your Old Self-destructive Life for Healthy One Worth Living

Modify Your Environment - This helpful tip includes modifying your personal space (room, apartment, etc) to better support your newfound sobriety. An example of this would be to ask a friend or family member to remove any and all drug-related materials from your personal living space. Also, do your best to avoid other environments that fail to support your clean living.

Use the techniques you learned in treatment - Just like the previous tip, this plan of action should be a no-brainer for any young adult returning home from rehab. After all, what good is achieving sobriety at rehabilitation or residential treatment center, if you fail to apply the skills that were largely responsible for making your sobriety possible in the first place? Answer: none. Basically, if you want to maintain your sobriety when re-entering the 'real world,' you must be conscientious of utilizing the learned skills you developed in rehabs - such as dealing with peer pressure and triggers, how to strategically avoid trigger situations, etc. - whenever they become applicable in your day-to-day living.

Find New, Health-affirming Habits to Replace Your Negative Old Ones - Changing your habits can be difficult and quitting your old ones can be even harder. However, it might make it easier to make a change by remembering one simple fact: it only takes 1-2 months to build a habit. By keeping this in mind, a recovering addict is more able to make significant habitual changes. After all, just about anyone can do most things for at least a month!

The Importance of Play: Learning How to Have 'Sober Fun'

Believe it or not, having fun - sober fun that is - is one of the most powerful skills a young recovering addict has in their 'staying sober toolbox.' Ironically, this part of sobriety is perhaps one of the most difficult notions for newly sobered young adults to fully visualize, let alone accept and apply to their personal lives - at least initially. This is because much of today's recovering young addicts associate 'having fun' with 'partying like it's 1999,' or escaping the harsh realities of the world by diving headfirst into the clutches of their highly coveted "drug of choice."

This is because much of today's recovering young addicts associate 'having fun' with 'partying like it's 1999,' or escaping the harsh realities of the world by diving headfirst into the clutches of their highly coveted "drug of choice."

However, as many recovering young addicts find out after returning home from rehab or residential treatment, there is much more fun to be had by utilizing the nearly endless possibilities that can only be imagined, let alone, executed, by a sober mind. When seeking new forms of healthy and sober-affirming entertainment, it's time to put yourself out there, to be adventurous and try new things.

For example, if you enjoy being outdoors, then perhaps trying new fun-filled activities such as kayaking, hiking beautiful nearby trails, fishing, mountain biking, or even adrenaline-filled endeavors like sky diving or bungee jumping can serve as a satisfying replacement for your old, negative, and self-destructive sources of entertainment.

Remember, the whole point of this helpful tip is to try new things, go to new places, and re-discovery yourself after embarking on new adventures that your previous addictions prevented you from enjoying. In other words, the world can be a sober man or woman's playground. Go out and play.

For young addicts who have run out of options, our facility offers a last hope. We are passionate about providing the perfect opportunity for complete rehabilitation. We want to help! If you have an adult child who is struggling with substance abuse, please call At The Crossroads at 866-439-0354 to speak to a professional Admissions Counselor, today.

By The Numbers: Getting to Know the Stats (So You Don't Become One Yourself)

As a recovering young addict, chances are you know first-hand about the consequences that are inherent to living an addict-lifestyle. Depending on your personal struggles with addictive substances, chances are that many of those who read this article will even know the stabbing, indescribable pain that can only be felt after losing a cherished friend, significant other, or family member to the tragically fatal natures of substance addiction.

As horribly macabre and depressing as thinking about the countless addict's whose lives were taken by the indiscriminately cruel clutches of addiction, familiarizing yourself with substance abuse and addiction can serve as a powerful reminder and motivational tool.

Sobering Statistics:

• 27% of all addicts have died from an overdose
• Only 27 % of addicts have achieved full-sobriety
• Addicts who enter inpatient addiction program within 30 days of their last use are 40% more likely to achieve a full recovery
• 40-60% of all addicts who enter rehab will fall victim to drug addiction after completing their program

Need Help With Staying Sober? At The Crossroads is Here to Guide You Down the Path of Complete Independence

At The Crossroads is a top aftercare program promoting sober living for young adults who have recently completed some form of drug rehabilitation. Our program is uniquely designed to help young men and women who desperately want to stay sober, but feel as though they need therapeutic assistance in order to abstain from harmful, and potentially life-threatening, addictive behaviors.

The not-so-best-kept secret to our transitional living/residential treatment center's overwhelming success in rehabilitating young men and women is none other than our loving and therapeutically qualified staff.

Here At The Crossroads, we employ a clinically certified staff whose passion for saving the lives of recovering addicts is rivaled only by their expertise in teaching life skills to young people who have failed to live an independent lifestyle. If you are a young adult in recovery, be brave enough to ask for help. Call Us Today | (866) 439-0354