For many people, the holidays are one of the most challenging times to stay sober. They’re faced with more temptation than ever during holiday parties and other festivities where substance abuse runs rampant. But you’re stronger than ever, and we’re here to help. Today, we’re offering up some sober inspiration to help you get through this season (and beyond) without swaying from your recovery journey.
Sober Inspiration: Tips For Your Recovery
Keep an eye out for relapse warning signs
The relapse process actually begins long before someone actually uses drugs or alcohol. First, the emotional relapse process begins. Then, a mental relapse. Finally, a physical relapse process takes place. The sooner you can spot the signs of relapse, however, the better you will be able to stop yourself from falling into old patterns.
Use these relapse warning signs as sober inspiration to help keep you on the right path:
- You find yourself engaging in compulsive behaviors
- You’re acting less responsibly and thinking irrationally
- You’re starting to convince yourself your drug or alcohol use wasn’t that bad
- Telling yourself you will be able to consume drugs or alcohol without a problem now
Returning to places or people you know use drugs and alcohol
Identify your triggers
The best way to avoid your triggers is having a clear understanding of what they are. If there are certain environments, people, situations, and places that are particularly triggering for you, plan to avoid them.
Alternatively, if you can’t avoid them, don’t go into those triggering situations without a plan for getting out, as well as a friend or family member who can support you. Make sure they understand what your triggers are as well so they can be on alert if you start struggling.
Another option is hiring a sober companion, coach, or escort for these situations. We’ll talk more about that in a moment.
Create new, healthy habits
It’s important to fill your time with healthier habits and behavior to avoid relapsing. The time you once spent abusing substances needs to now be focused in some way or you’re more likely to find yourself bored and tempted to return to old habits.
For example, your Saturday nights could now include a hot yoga class instead of a visit to the local pub. But there’s no rule that it has to be yoga you choose for a new healthy habit!
Here are some other ideas:
- Weightlifting
- Group fitness classes
- Walking
- Running
- Sports (group or individual)
- Meditation
It’s also important to develop other healthy habits, including mindfulness and healthy eating.
At Elysian Sober Services, our sober companions make these healthy habits a big part of their process for teaching recovery, including:
- Encouraging regular sleep habits to assist in daily sober living
- Incorporating and teaching about healthy eating habits
- Encouraging fitness and wellness routines
- Helping develop daily practices that will help prevent relapse
Get Involved In Your Recovery
According to med.stanford.edu “After evaluating 35 studies — involving the work of 145 scientists and the outcomes of 10,080 participants — Keith Humphreys, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and his fellow investigators determined that AA was nearly always found to be more effective than psychotherapy in achieving abstinence. In addition, most studies showed that AA participation lowered health care costs.”
With skepticism facing AA & other 12 step programs the truth is people have a program they can get involved in that will allow them to stay sober. These programs have helped countless people across the world and can absolutely save your life.
When it comes to staying sober, getting involved with your recovery with these programs is always the easier of the choices that face someone in recovery. A sponsor, home group, and step work beats the alternative considering the detrimental effects of drugs and alcohol.
A Belief In A Power Greater Than Yourself
One of the most inspirational pieces of someone’s sobriety is the fact they have placed their trust into a power greater than themselves. Many people make the unfortunate decision to overlook this fact when they are standing next to someone who has overcome their addiction. They see someone who is articulate, thoughtful, caring, and an active member of society. All of these qualities of someone in recovery are remarkable but when you ask most of them how they have achieved these qualities most refer to the power they have found greater than themselves.
Don’t overlook this and you will stay inspired in your recovery.
Don’t neglect the past
Many people in recovery have a lot of shame about their past behavior. They may have burned a number of bridges with friends and loved ones, and the guilt and shame now weighs them down. But letting these feelings get the best of you can also make it easier to turn to drugs or alcohol for numbing them.
Instead, work on actively dealing with these feelings of shame and guilt. A great place to start is owning up to these mistakes and apologizing when necessary. It’s also beneficial to work with a counselor to deal with your past experiences and behaviors to help you make healthier choices moving forward.
When someone is working the steps this is referred to as the 8th and 9th steps of recovery.
Visit this post next for three things to consider when you work with an addiction counselor.
Hire Sober Services to Support You and Offer Sober Inspiration
The help of friends and family on your journey to long-term recovery is incredibly important. However, your friends and family can’t necessarily offer the type of individualized support you need, especially when you’re struggling.
Not to mention, they likely don’t have the professional training or experience that can be instrumental for helping you get and stay sober.
But that’s where Elysian Sober Services come in! We offer a number of sober services for people on their recovery journeys, including sober companions, sober coaches, and sober escorts.
Sober companions
Sober companions guide you or your loved one in the right direction when it comes to recovery. At Elysian Sober Services, our sober companions aim to set achievable goals and set up a healthy environment conducive to recovery. We are here for you in your time of need, and we also understand how crucial it is to have accountability throughout the day.
Sober coaches
Sober coaches are mentors who help you along in your path of recovery, including providing additional sober inspiration when you need it. The coaches at Elysian Sober Services are here 24/7 through the phone and we will also meet face to face five times a week. Additionally, we’ll quickly get you acclimated within the recovery community in your area.
We also aim to get you set up with sober resources in your area and to set a service plan for you to follow. All goals set by our coaches are achievable and all work towards a healthy, sober future.
Sober transportation
Sober transportation is another useful resource that can come in particularly handy during the holidays. Remember what we said about it being impossible to avoid triggering situations or people? Well, having sober transportation takes you to and from these situations can be a game changer!
Our sober transportation guides are here to assist in getting you around. Whether you need transportation home, to or from an airport, or simply just need assistance getting around town, our team is here to help.
Find Your Sober Inspiration
These sober inspiration tips are a great start. But it’s important to find your unique inspiration and motivation for staying on track. Maybe it’s your children, your pets, your friends, or being accountable to yourself.
But whatever it may be, keep this inspiration in focus at all times. It’s helpful to focus on your long-term goals so that even when temptation strikes, you don’t lose sight of the big picture.
And of course, we’re here to help you find that inspiration for yourself! Whether you’re interested in learning more about sober companionship, coaching, or transportation, don’t hesitate to contact Elysian Sober Services in Port Saint Lucie, FL. today.
