• About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

Harris HouseHarris House
  • About
    • Insurance
    • Credentialing Partners
    • Admissions
    • Dual Diagnosis
    • Alumni Success Stories
    • Careers
  • Treatments
    • Inpatient / Detox
    • Partial Hospitalization Program
    • Intensive Outpatient Program
    • Transitional Housing
    • Family Program
    • Continuum Of Care
  • Resources
    • News & Events
    • Blog
    • Addictions
  • Gallery
  • Contact
  • Donate

Failure Isn’t Final – There Is Life After Recovery

August 8, 2018 Posted by grant Addiction, Recovery
Addiction recovery

Are your friendships supporting or sabotaging your recovery?

Life isn’t pass or fail. Rather, it’s a series of chances to learn from the past in order to embrace a brighter future. For many addicts, however, letting go of past mistakes and moving on is easier said than done.

Unfortunately, this can be an impediment to living well after recovery. Luckily, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for success.  Read on for a roundup of ways to support not only your recovery, but also your quality of life after substance abuse treatment.

1. Surround yourself with positives.

Just as positivity begets positivity, negativity begets negativity. The takeaway? The more positive influences you welcome into your life, the more likely you are to stay on a positive path.

This starts with people: Surrounding yourself with friends and family members who aggravate your cravings by using is just the start. The best support system will also remind you of your commitment and help you prioritize the behaviors and habits which will help you stay healthy and addiction-free.

Places and things which can also act as “triggers” are also considered high-risk. By avoiding putting yourself in high-risk situations whenever possible, you can minimize your risk of relapse. In cases where it’s impossible to avoid triggers, maintaining awareness of them can also be an invaluable defensive mechanism.

You also have the opportunity to be positive for someone else. Whether you informally share your thoughts and feelings with another person in recovery or volunteer with addicts in a formal capacity, you can become an inspiration for others — and reinforce your own reasons for recovery in the process.

Addiction recovery

Stress is no match for a few minutes of meditation.

2. Find new ways to manage stress and relax. 

Most addicts turn to drugs and alcohol in a misguided attempt to relieve stress, relax, and reward themselves. While these coping mechanisms may work in the short-term, they backfire over time.

The good news? There are plenty of other healthy techniques which have the same tension-relieving effects. From exercising and meditating to therapy and spending time with friends, recovering addicts have many options which can help them feel better without succumbing to bad habits.

3. Lead with honesty.

Lying is part of an addict’s life. The need to lie arises out of desperation and is ultimately a vicious cycle:

The more you lie, the more you have to lie. 

Over time, it’s easy to lose track of what it feels like to be truthful — to yourself and to loved ones.

Being honest also means accepting yourself and your mistakes. Everyone makes them. Owning them and doing your best to move forward despite them is both a liberating and necessary part of recovery.

Ultimately, addiction recovery leaves no room for deceit. By committing to be honest with yourself and with the people who make up your support system, you avoid starting down a slippery slope. As soon as you stop lying, you stop giving addiction a place to hide.

At the end of the day, addiction recovery isn’t just about stopping harmful habits. Rather, it’s about creating a new life after recovery in which it’s easier not to use than to use. While this is anything but easy, it’s also an exciting time in which many addicts ultimately feel gratitude for recovering their lives.

The best part? The longer you maintain abstinence, the better your odds are of continuing to live an addiction-free-life, according to research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, In fact, in cases where abstinence is maintained for five years, relapse is very rare. In other words, there’s another benefit to starting now and sticking with it: It gets easier over time.  Ready to take the first step in your journey to addiction recovery and a better life? Call Harris House to learn about admissions.

Tags: addiction recovery
Share
0

About grant

This author hasn't written their bio yet.
grant has contributed 289 entries to our website, so far.View entries by grant

    You also might be interested in

    Addiction Recovery: Why No One Should Travel the Road Alone

    Nov 15, 2016

    It is true that in order to achieve and maintain[...]

    How Choices Affect Addiction and Recovery

    Mar 20, 2017

    While it may seem otherwise, you CAN turn back. Life[...]

    Vulnerability and Trust in Addiction Recovery

    Mar 27, 2017

    Trust is not unrecoverable, but it is a process. For[...]

    Recent Posts

    • A Guide to Inpatient Alcohol Rehab Centers
    • What to Look for When Searching for the Right Rehab Facilities in St. Louis
    • The Benefits of a Holistic Inpatient Rehab for Alcohol Addiction – The Solution You’ve Been Searching For
    • What to Expect from Your 28-Day Residential Treatment Program
    • The Difference Between Intensive Inpatient Therapy (24-Hour Drug Rehab Centers) and Other Facilities

    Insurance Providers

    Substance use insurance coverage and benefits can be multifaceted and will vary with the different insurance companies and plans. The Harris House Insurance Department has experience working with insurance providers to get our clients the maximum benefits possible. Let our staff do the work for you. LEARN MORE

    Insurance Providers Insurance Providers Insurance Providers

    Credentialing Partners

    Harris House is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International). Harris House is also certified by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, approved by the Better Business Bureau as an A+ accredited charity and a proud member of United Way of Greater St. Louis. LEARN MORE

    DMH Carf BBB United Way

    Contact Us

    Let your recovery begin

    We're here to help.

    Please reach out with any questions

    CONTACT US

    314-631-4299

    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate

    Treat the whole person - body, mind, and spirit > CALL TODAY 314.631.4299

    Harris HouseHarris House
    • About
      • Insurance
      • Credentialing Partners
      • Admissions
      • Dual Diagnosis
      • Alumni Success Stories
      • Careers
    • Treatments
      • Inpatient / Detox
      • Partial Hospitalization Program
      • Intensive Outpatient Program
      • Transitional Housing
      • Family Program
      • Continuum Of Care
    • Resources
      • News & Events
      • Blog
      • Addictions
    • Gallery
    • Contact
    • Donate
    About Us
    Treatments
    Resources
    Gallery
    Contact Us
    Donate

    For individuals struggling with addiction to alcohol and drugs, Harris House helps people achieve sobriety and become healthy and productive individuals. Since our founding in 1961, Harris House has grown to become a top-rated non-profit treatment center.

    CALL US TODAY

    314-631-4299

    2706 S. River Rd
    St. Charles, MO 63303

    8315 South Broadway
    St. Louis, MO 63111

    © 2023 HARRIS HOUSE FOUNDATION.

    Prev Next