How To Rebuild Following Rehab
Congratulations on your sobriety! Your hard work and decision to prioritize your mental and physical wellbeing means the potential for a bright future. If you’ve recently left a rehab facility and are looking to rebuild your life, there’s a lot to think about. The great news is that there are plenty of tools and resources to help you be your best self and create the life that you’ve dreamt of. To find out how to rebuild after rehab, read on.
Create a Plan
If you were fortunate enough to work on your recovery at a luxury rehab like The Hope House in Arizona, you likely have fantastic tools that will get you through challenging days. Reminding yourself of them will help when you go about the first step in creating your life after rehab plan.
To create a plan, you’ll want to consider your living situation, whether you’ll attend meetings, setting up appointments with an addiction therapist, employment, mending and building new relationships, and taking care of any responsibilities you currently have. Remind yourself that your recovery is not a race. While this list may look like a lot to accomplish in a short time, your sobriety depends on you moving at your own pace. Promise yourself that you’ll take each task one step at a time and keep your recovery in mind when it comes to tackling each item.
Turning Toward a Higher Power
Whether you’re someone who plans to attend AA meetings and believes in turning things over to a higher power, someone who doesn’t believe in God or a higher power at all, or even a person who enjoys the fellowship and church resources a local church provides, consider ways to reconnect to your faith if it’s something that’s important to you.
For some people, the belief in a higher power is critical to their success with recovery. Others find that they simply need to use tools they learned in rehab to take one day at a time when it comes to rebuilding their lives. No one can make this decision for you and understanding your own needs and what motivates you is important for long-term sobriety. Take time to discover and connect to your belief system. It may have changed since rehab, or it could be stronger than ever.
Building a Healthy Support Team
Surrounding yourself with friends, family, healthcare professionals and other supports who understand how important your recovery and ongoing sobriety are to you are essential. Make a list of people you can trust for times when you’re struggling. Create a detailed plan on who you’ll call if you get tempted to use again.
Some people struggle with the natural inclination to return to old environments and friends after rehab. The trouble with this is that old environments and relationships can lead to greater temptations. Do what you can to identify who will be healthy for you and who could trigger you.
Setting Goals and Embracing Accountability
Make a list of goals for yourself and hold yourself accountable by telling a friend or trusted family member about them. Ask yourself where you hope to be in your career, education, relationships, living situation, and recovery stages in a year. Set smaller goals one month at a time. In meeting goals and being able to visualize the step-by-step process of rebuilding your life, things might seem easier.
At the end of the day, you’ve already proven you’re a strong person who can do anything you put your mind to. While the process of rebuilding will come with challenges and struggles, try to remind yourself that you’ve come this far. In pulling on your resources, sticking to a plan, turning to a higher power, and having a healthy support system, you’ll give yourself your best chance at a life you once dreamt of. Congratulations again and good luck in your continued recovery journey.
