Navigating Life After Behavioral Health Treatment

Skills and Tips for Maintaining Your Recovery

Introduction
Leaving behavioral health treatment can be an intimidating and challenging time. While you’ve worked hard in treatment to gain skills and perspectives that support your recovery, returning to your day-to-day life brings new stressors and triggers. It’s completely normal to feel some uncertainty or fear about this transition. But with proper planning and utilizing the right skills, you can maintain your change process and continue your journey of growth. In this blog post, I’ll provide some motivational tips and practical skills to help you navigate this new phase of life after treatment.

Build Your Community of Support
One of the most vital things you can do is intentionally build a strong community to support your recovery. Isolation and lack of accountability are dangers to sobriety, so prioritize surrounding yourself with positive people who will uplift you. Here are some ways to do this:

• Attend recovery support groups regularly, such as 12-step meetings or SMART Recovery meetings. Share your story and connect with others who understand. Exchange numbers with some members so you have an instant support network.
• Lean on your family members and friends who are dedicated to supporting you, not negatively enabling you. Clearly communicate your needs and boundaries. Plan safe social activities together.
• Consider getting a recovery coach or sponsor to provide one-on-one guidance and accountability. Work with a therapist specialized in trauma-based modalities. 
• Get involved with a safe community organization that offers healthy social events, recovery coaching services, and more.
• Surround yourself with people who share your values and interests. Disconnect from unsafe, negative influences from your past.

Practice Return to Problematic Use Prevention Skills
Return to use can happen during recovery. The key is to equip yourself with skills to manage triggers or cravings. Here are some effective skills to practice daily:

• Stay mindful of your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Notice defense mechanisms like denial or minimization kicking in.
• Identify your personal triggers and high-risk situations. Create a plan to deal with them.
• Challenge the thoughts or beliefs that make you vulnerable, like “I’m not worth it” or “I can control my use now.”
• Utilize healthy coping strategies when you feel triggered, like calling your coach, using positive self-talk, exercising, meditating or writing in a journal.
• Remove things from your environment associated with your addiction, like alcohol or drug paraphernalia. Avoid places that could stress you out and potentially lead to resumption of chaotic use.
• Rehearse how you’ll respond if offered alcohol or other drugs. Remember your reasons for ending your relationship.
• Deal promptly with stress and underlying issues like trauma, relationship problems or mental and emotional health challenges. Don’t let them fester.
• Keep the process of change visible. Display affirmations, possibly attend support meetings. Have a recovery playlist.

Adopt a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle
It’s vital to develop positive new habits and routines that support your overall health and wellbeing in recovery. Here are some areas to focus on improving:

• Exercise. Regular exercise boosts your mood, reduces stress, improves sleep and gives you a healthy activity to fill time. Aim for 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. Consider joining a class or fitness group to add community.
• Nutrition. Eat regular, nutritious meals to care for your body. Stay hydrated with water. Limit caffeine, sugar and unhealthy fats which can negatively impact your mood and energy. Taking a daily multivitamin can help replenish depleted nutrients.
• Sleep. Get quality sleep every night, going to bed and waking up at consistent times. Calm your mind through meditation, journaling or relaxing music before bed. Keep screens out of your bedroom.
• Stress management. Make time for relaxation practices like deep breathing, yoga, massage or nature walks. Say no to obligations that drain you. Keep your environment orderly and soothing.
• Work or education. Pursue meaningful work or education goals to add purpose and accountability. Share your change journey only if appropriate.
• Financial health. Pay off debts, save money, and budget wisely to reduce financial stress. Manage money carefully.
• Self-care. Do things that nurture your soul like making art, getting a massage, traveling or volunteering. Pamper yourself in healthy ways.
• Handle Interpersonal Challenges. Healing strained or broken relationships is an important part of healing. Approach these interactions with empathy, humility and patience.
• Communicate openly. Clearly express your boundaries and needs. Own your part in past issues. Listen and validate others’ feelings. Practice forgiveness.
• Repair trust. Regaining broken trust takes time and consistency. Follow through on your word. Make amends, which means changing behavior not just apologizing. Demonstrate changed behavior over time.
• Set healthy boundaries. Limit time with toxic people not supportive of your recovery. Say no to unreasonable demands. Protect your health and wellbeing.
• Deal with emotions. Get help processing anger, grief, resentment and other emotions. Repressed feelings can lead to resumption of use. Address issues constructively.
• Ask for support. Your loved ones may also need help navigating your relationship. Consider trauma-based family or couples therapy or coaching. 
• Take it slow. Don’t rush back into unhealthy relationships. Let new patterns emerge at a gradual pace. Focus on your change journey first.

Remember Your Purpose
Finally, recalling your purpose and vision can uplift you during challenging moments. Here are some ways to strengthen your motivation:

• Reread past journal entries describing your journey. Reconnect with why changing your life matters to you.
• Share your story and wisdom. Helping others reinforces your purpose.
• Celebrate positive changes and growth. Save uplifting letters.
• Surround yourself with inspirational sayings, and affirmations. Make motivation visible.
• Connect your change process to a spiritual purpose, a cause or set of values. How does this align with your deeper sense of meaning?
• Imagine the person you want to become. Envision the life of freedom that changing your life allows.

Conclusion
The transition after treatment can be uncomfortable at times. But with courage, self-compassion and commitment to change, you can continue your journey one day at a time. Surround yourself with support, practice new skills and believe in the possibility of change. Remember this is not about capabilities, it's about the decisions you make. You’ve got this!

At Family Addiction Recovery, we offer comprehensive resources to help you or your loved one thrive in recovery after treatment. Contact us today to learn about our recovery coaching services, family support program, and referrals to housing, jobs, and more. You don't have to navigate this alone - we're here to help.