There’s a reason maintaining long-term sobriety proves to be so challenging for so many people dealing with addiction. While getting over the initial hurdle of getting sober is tough enough on its own, maintaining that sobriety can be even more challenging. That’s why sober coaching is so important. It helps to provide someone in recovery with the resources, support, and guidance they need to remain free of drugs or alcohol for the long term.
Sober Coaching: Preventing Relapse And Maintaining Long-Term Sobriety
Today, we’ll tell you more about the role of sober coaching when it comes to preventing relapse and maintaining long-term sobriety from drugs and alcohol.
The Difference Between Individual Therapy and a Sober Coach
First, it’s helpful to touch on the distinction between individual therapy and sober coaching. Individual therapy is focused on helping a person deal with the root cause of their addiction while also providing them with emotional support, mental health counseling, and other therapeutic interventions to help them work through their addiction.
On the other hand, a sober coach helps a person with addiction learn new recovery strategies and relapse prevention plans that can help them stay on track with maintaining sobriety. Sober coaching often involves:
- Providing support in maintaining abstinence from drugs or alcohol
- Identifying personal triggers for potential relapse
- Developing coping skills
- Managing cravings and urges
- Maintaining recovery structure and routine
- Developing long-term goals for maintaining sobriety
Identifying Relapse Warning Signs
On the topic of maintaining long-term sobriety, it’s also helpful to discuss five big warning signs that can point to relapse:
- Changes in emotional state
- Isolation
- Anger outbursts
- Impulsiveness
- Changes in sleep patterns
Changes in emotional state
People in recovery often experience changes in their emotional state before relapsing. This could manifest as sudden swings from feeling good to feeling bad or vice versa. In addition, they may start to feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts, which can indicate a relapse is on the horizon.
Isolation
Another sign of potential relapse is when someone isolates themselves from family, friends, or the recovery community. Whether it’s because they think they don’t need help or don’t want anyone to know if they relapse, maintaining support is vital in staying sober. If someone you love is starting to isolate themselves, it might be time to take action—or at least ask them how they’re doing.
Anger outbursts
When someone in recovery starts to display sudden anger outbursts, it could indicate that relapse is imminent. Anger often serves as a mask to cover up feelings of shame, guilt, and fear. Relapse could be around the corner when these negative emotions start to take over.
Impulsiveness
You might notice someone in recovery is suddenly engaging in new, risky behavior, such as gambling or drinking. This type of impulsiveness can be a sign they could be slipping back into the cycle of addiction. On the other hand, these behaviors might be a substitute for drugs or alcohol and should be addressed immediately.
Changes in sleep patterns
Sleep can be a challenge at the best of times. But if someone in recovery starts to experience changes in their sleep patterns, such as sleeping too much or not enough, this could be a warning sign that they are at risk of a relapse.
The Benefits of a Sober Coach for Maintaining Long-Term Sobriety
Now that we’ve discussed some of the warning signs that can point to relapse, let’s focus on how a sober coach can help maintain long-term sobriety. There are many ways they can help and prove to be integral in maintaining long-term sobriety.
The four we’ll discuss today are:
- 24/7 access to support
- Introduction to the recovery community
- A custom recovery and relapse prevention plan to meet your personal needs
- Ongoing accountability and positive reinforcement
- 24/7 access to support
Knowing you can call your sober coach anytime is a reliable source of comfort, especially for those new to recovery who might be feeling isolated or overwhelmed. Having someone there to provide emotional support and help you find healthy coping strategies can make all the difference in maintaining long-term sobriety.
- Introduction to the recovery community
We’ve mentioned the importance of support when it comes to maintaining long-term sobriety, and we can’t emphasize this point enough. With the help of sober coaching, you can get a helpful introduction to the people and communities that will support you in maintaining long-term sobriety. This can include everything from support groups and 12-step programs to therapy and other addiction resources.
(Don’t miss this post about staying committed to sobriety next)
- Custom recovery and relapse prevention plans
Rather than white-knuckling it through sobriety, a sober coach can help you create a custom relapse prevention and recovery plan. This plan may include activities such as goal-setting and journaling to help keep you focused on maintaining long-term sobriety.
- Ongoing accountability and positive reinforcement
Accountability is key when it comes to maintaining long-term sobriety. A sober coach can support you by regularly checking in with you, setting realistic goals, tracking your progress, and providing positive reinforcement when needed. The community they introduce you to will also be a profound source of support and accountability. Knowing you can turn to them for help and advice is a great way to stay focused and motivated in maintaining long-term sobriety.
Conclusion: Sober Coaching and Maintaining Long-Term Sobriety
When it comes down to it, utilizing the services of a sober coach can be incredibly beneficial in maintaining long-term sobriety. They provide someone to talk to who understands your recovery struggles and support that helps you take proactive steps towards maintaining it. Having this type of connection will benefit you and those around you, too, ensuring relapse prevention is at the top of everyone’s minds. With their help and expertise, maintaining long-term sobriety doesn’t have to feel like such an impossible goal.
Contact Elysian Sober Services in Florida today if you’re ready to learn more about sober coaching services. The Elysian Sober Services team consists of caring professionals who are ready to help you find the path to maintaining long-term sobriety. So reach out to us today, and let’s start working on your road to lifelong recovery!
