You’ve really gone far in your sobriety. You’ve broken past the walls that kept you corralled within your declining lifestyle and built new foundations to stand proudly upon. Your life has truly changed for the better and your achievements have come to you because you made all of the right decisions for yourself. Knowing you kept up with the responsibilities that come with sobriety, you don’t want to slip up and find yourself back at square one.
Dedication is something to dote on. When we adhere to such drastic changes in our lives and complete the overhaul that is forever sobriety, we need to make sure that we continue down that broad and beautiful road. Making certain that we are following our same steps, yet implementing new techniques to freshen our views and strengthen our beliefs in sobriety, we can usher ourselves into new stages of sober life. At this juncture, we will begin to see in ourselves many things that were blocked from view before, but that will keep our self-belief ironclad.
Keeping in tune with your sobriety also means being able to trust in yourself without letting your guard down. Have fun and enjoy your life with sober activities that leave you swathed in well-deserved self-pride.
Overcoming Urges And Maintaining Pride
It can’t all be easy in this new world we live in, and frankly, it isn’t meant to be. Keeping sober and experiencing dramatic changes that alter the body and mind will—without doubt—provide new stumbling blocks that will need to be overcome. As challenges present themselves, we, as sober individuals, must push beyond the pressures of daily life. The simple way to overcome an urge is to avoid that which causes urges. But when avoidance is not an option, we must find our pride and stand up to ourselves.
Every morning is important for that boost of self-belief; waking up to know that you did nothing to jeopardize what you’ve worked so hard to accomplish. In this confirmation, it is wise to continue not just relying on your days as they pass successfully, but your weeks, months, and years. Look toward the future, set a goal, and wake up being able to happily say to yourself, “Month seven, zero drug use. Now on to month eight.” Let pride take you over in these moments. Be so proud of yourself that your ego inflates and you feel a bit like a bully as you laugh in the face of temptation. It is okay to be silently cocky about your sobriety. This is the best way in which to kick yourself in the butt whenever there arises a moment of doubt or a hint of an urge to use again.
Remember: Being your biggest supporter can also translate into being your biggest critic. Stopping yourself from doing something stupid can be as easy as a nice slap to your own face.
A New Horizon For A New Life
Being that our lives are rather different from what they were when we were enslaved by drugs, we can now begin to find new points of view to dwell on. These points of view could be of ourselves, of drug use, of life in general, of laws and social attitudes toward drug use, and even of newly-discovered ethics that are ready to be put to use.
Just as your mind began to clear through detoxification, your mind is clearer in sobriety than ever before. So what do you see in this new state? Maybe you take note of how befitting your current lifestyle is to what you had envisioned for yourself but never thought possible. Does it occur to you that
life is easier without drugs, despite the challenges of staying sober? Life before sobriety meant having no money, messing up relationships and jobs, stumbling through your days and missing out on memories; it meant legal trouble, battles with your health, and no future in sight.
Beyond all of the bad that you’ve left behind, it is now time to look to your future. Remember when it was hard to see the future because the future was as simple as getting your next fix? Nothing else mattered because there was nothing else in your former mind. But now what do you see? You could be rocketing forward in your career soon. You could be starting a family and having endless memories to look forward to making. Life is real now and you are at the stage of being able to finally view it thusly.
Remember: Having a new lease on life means having a NEW LIFE. It’s time to see life for what it now is and begin living it.
Loosening The Reins But Staying The Course
Our road to recovery is long, and by nature, tough. Knowing what activities are good for us to take part in and what can be a threat to recovery is key in sticking to it. It goes without saying that there are certain things we should not do, certain places we should not be, and certain people with whom we can no longer spend great deals of time. As we continue on this way, finding sober activities to enjoy and figuring out just the right people to keep near to us—as they promote our sobriety and support our efforts—we also find that we are finally able to “get back out there.”
Getting back to some of the things we once did doesn’t mean reentering the bar scene, lounging next to the dudes passing around a bong, or attending five A.M. hotel parties. Just because you feel you can keep it straight, doesn’t mean you need to immerse yourself in situations where you could break form or even watch others do the things that contributed to your own downfall.
No, letting loose doesn’t mean going wild while staying sober, because you, yourself, know exactly how stupid that risk would be. Letting loose means allowing yourself to be around people who are casually drinking. It means going to the football game when your family is tailgating and drinking a pop and eating a hot dog. It means going to a birthday party and seeing buddies, but not indulging or staying beyond a reasonable hour. Finding exactly what you can handle and where your limits lie is important.
Remember: Let you hair down but know your own boundaries. The best fun is real fun, which is sober fun. So keep it real.
Getting Through Your Stage Of Recovery
Mid-Course recovery is a stage in sobriety that varies from person to person. This advice is intended for those who have been sober for long enough to maintain a healthy and responsible lifestyle, which could begin years after the first step toward true recovery.
If you are having trouble in your stages of recovery, do not hesitate to contact DrugRehab.org for advice and assistance.