Congratulations!  You have just made it through rehab and are on the way to your first 30 days of recovery.  Now, it is time to return to the real world with all its joys, problems and people. New in sobriety, to make it through, you need a plan. Here are some suggestions:

1.  Make a Schedule

Each day should be completely scheduled to leave minimal time to think about how to leave your sobriety.  This does not mean you can’t change your schedule, but this should happen only for really important matters.  Make sure to include lots of meetings to receive support and to help other people with their issues.

2.  Meetings

Make all meetings a priority.  This helps you fill time and affirm the techniques you learned in rehab.  These meetings will make your recovery more successful and always give you a place to turn besides returning to your addiction.  Put into practice the sobriety tips you learn here.

3.  Doctors

Make all your doctor appointments, even if you have not been as successful as you intended.  These appointments will help you pinpoint where you went wrong and set up on the correct path again.

4.  Religion

Religion is a good help to keep on the right path.  Whether you choose yoga, medication or prayer, spending time each day will keep you centered and help you reach your goals.  Prayer is calming and self-affirming.

5.  Cooking

This is a good idea even if you don’t know how to cook.   Preparing your own food gives you an outlet for creativity and can bring your family and friends together for support.  Start simple.  Don’t expect to make anything perfect on the first go around.

6.  Exercise

Exercise has many benefits for both the body and the mind.  Our bodies were made to move on a regular basis.   The more you exercise, the easier it becomes.  Slowly increase the amount you do during exercise.  You will be proud of your success.

7.  Write a Daily Journal

Each day, take some time to write down what you did during the day, your feelings and successes.  Comment on how your daily program worked, how you related to others and work out how to fix any mistakes you made.  If you need to read someone’s journal to understand how to keep one, take a look at any of Queen Victoria’s many entries.  She left behind volumes of journals.

8.  Learn Something New

The first 30 days is a good time to take up something new.  Don’t choose something that will increase your stress, but if you ever wanted to play the piano, learn how to paint, sew or make clay pots, this is a good time to take this up.  Just go with the flow, and don’t worry about how your results look.  They will improve if you keep up with your new hobby.

9.  Make a List of Goals

Everyone coming out of rehab should have a list of goals.  Keep this list handy and review it frequently.  As your recovery progresses, add new goals to move forward.  If a goal is too hard, look at breaking it up into different parts so that each goal is simpler to meet.  Don’t forget why you are in recovery.

10.  Forgive Yourself

Forgive yourself for your past indiscretions and go on.  No one intends to become addicted and it can happen to anyone under the right circumstances.  It is important to remember, however, forgiving has nothing to do with permission to repeat your mistakes.  Your main purpose is to move forward in your sobriety and form a complete life without the need of drugs to deal with life’s problems.

11.  People

You can’t continue to see people in your past that your main relationship was losing your sobriety together.  You must steel yourself to put these people behind you.  Practice what you will say if you see them, which you will at some point.  Be honest.  Let them know you can’t continue as you were for your health, and you won’t be joining them anymore the way you were.  If they ask, you can explain how you became sober.  But, they must be ready to hear this.  Sadly, this may include close friends and family members.  Keep yourself on track.

12.  Places

You know all the places you went to become addicted.  Don’t go to any of them, not for a long time.  These places may have some good memories that could draw you back into the fold.  The world is full of places where people don’t spend their day under the influence.  It’s those places you need to start spending your life enjoying.

Above all, keep to your recovery and meetings. If you or a loved one is struggling with sobriety, don’t be afraid to reach out. Contact us today to get more information!