After Addiction, Don’t Turn Back
We want to speak to recovered addicts today. Whether you came to us at a Steps Recovery Centers, went somewhere else, or did it on your own, you conquered addiction.
What comes next is up to you. You can make a new life out of your recovery. You can be a new you. You may have to get a new job, a new place to live, even new friends. Your life may be totally different.
Or, your life may be exactly the same. However, this can be where the trouble arises. If your life is just the same after you have recovered from addiction, you may be putting yourself in the same position to get addicted again. Granted, all circumstances are different, and sometimes it’s not necessarily the life you were in, but the choices you made that led to addiction.
Whatever it is though, don’t turn back. If a habit of thinking led you to addiction, don’t let yourself think that way. If a group of friends challenged you to get high, you may need to say your farewells to that group of friends. It’s much easier said than done to not turn back, but it’s extremely necessary for a lifetime of recovery.
You can’t allow yourself to be in a position where you may be attempted to fall into your temptations of addiction. You cannot turn back physically, mentally, emotionally. You cannot turn back period. Look forward. Think of the lessons that you learned, but do not consider going back to where it hurt so much. Take steps in the direction of a sober future. Be happy. Face forward.
What Are the Obstacles to Addiction Recovery?
Getting over an addiction is a tremendous task, and with that, comes obstacles. No obstacle is too large to overcome addiction, but it’s important to be aware of what you or your loved one may face as they work towards recovery.
- Addiction is its own obstacle. Addiction means that your body and your mind cannot stop craving a substance. It means that something has taken part of your control over yourself. You need to choose to take that control back. Get over that addiction.
- Recovery requires that you get over your pride. To admit that you have a problem requires a lot of humility. Admitting that you are addicted to something requires much more humility than most things. It’s an obstacle though, and one that you must get over if you truly want to find help and become sober.
- Money may be an obstacle for some people. Getting the appropriate treatment can be expensive, but no debt is too large to become you again. Paying to get into an addiction recovery program may be the most important investment you ever make. It is an investment in yourself, an investment into becoming whole again.
- You may have to let go of parts of your life. You may have become addicted as a result of friends, a lifestyle, or a pain that you are dealing with. Do what you need to do to make sure those things aren’t in your life anymore. You can’t truly recover if you are still suffering from what got you addicted in the first place.
- You will experience physical withdrawals. Getting over addiction almost certainly requires physical withdrawals. It may be one of the hardest things you have to get through, but it is necessary to kick your addiction.
If you face other obstacles, get rid of them, climb over them, do what you need to do to make sure you can recover. You need to take care of yourselves. Here at Steps Recovery Centers, we can help you recover. Learn more about us here.
Choose Rehab Over Prison
With any form of addiction, there comes a time when you may be close to entering prison. You may be breaking laws and pushing boundaries you normally wouldn’t. Addiction has changed who you are as a citizen, a citizen of your town and your country. More importantly, it has changed you from a good person, to someone who struggles to see the good.
You can be inherently good, but if you are not careful, changes caused by addiction can lead to trouble and lead you on the path to prison.
You can find yourself incarcerated, perhaps without the help you need.
Many people who spend time in any sort of detention facility begin a cycle of reabuse. After time in prison, you may find yourself addicted again once you get out. It is a terrible cycle.
This is why you need to choose rehab over prison. You need to take the steps needed to recover right now, rather than ending up in a jail cell where the help you need is so much farther away.
If you procrastinate, you will cross more lines. No one wants to be in prison, but it will be especially be detrimental to those facing addictions.
You can choose to break your chains.
Addiction is a prison. You are trapped by your attachments to drugs and/or alcohol.
Don’t be. Go to rehab and find your freedom.
Rehab may seem like a prison of it’s own, but it’s not. It’s a place that can give you freedom from addiction. Rehab can help you break chains that wouldn’t be able to break on your own.
You may be under an illusion of happiness.
Heather King was under an illusion. She has written memoirs, blogs, and essays, but also said something very powerful about alcoholism. She said, “I once heard a sober alcoholic say that drinking never made him happy, but it made him feel like he was going to be happy in about fifteen minutes. That was exactly it, and I couldn’t understand why the happiness never came, couldn’t see the flaw in my thinking, couldn’t see that alcohol kept me trapped in a world of illusion, procrastination, paralysis. I lived always in the future, never in the present. Next time, next time! Next time I drank it would be different, next time it would make me feel good again. And all my efforts were doomed, because already drinking hadn’t made me feel good in years.”
Live today. Choose now. Escape your trap.
Choose rehab over prison. Visit one of our drug rehabs in Utah to begin your journey to a healthy and free life. You can call our friendly staff any time at 801-465-5111.
5 Ways to Minimize Addiction Stigma
When it comes to drug addiction, stigma is everywhere. There always seems to be a mocking comment or stereotypical answer when facing others who are unaware of your situation.
“How could that happen to you? Why could you not prevent this? There is no way out for you, is there?”
These comments hurt. They shout at you. They sum you up and put you down in a matter of moments.
But that “set of negative and often unfair beliefs” about drug addiction can be minimized so you can live your life and focus on recovery as family.
- Try not to be too sensitive. Although you may have every right to be offended, don’t let it eat you up. If you allow yourself to be in control, the comments and assumptions don’t have to hurt as much.
- Be an educator. Don’t let people walk on by with false assumptions. Correct them gently. Let them know the truths of addiction. Educate them so that they do not make the same mistake again.
- Be understanding. Not everyone understands the full scopes of addiction. If you can understand that, you’ll be better off. When someone misjudges your situation, be open to the fact that there may just be a misunderstanding.
- Be open. Stigma can sometimes be created due to the hush-hush of addiction. If you are open and honest with yourself and others, the stigma may start to fade. This doesn’t mean that every detail needs to be out in the public, but perhaps it will prevent judgement if you realize that people will have questions. Be willing to answer them when you are comfortable.
- Be an advocate for recovery. Educate yourselves and others that recovery is possible. Addiction doesn’t have to be shamed. It can be recovered from. Allow that to be a journey, not an end.
Addiction is hard and stigma can make it harder. It can hurt families and individuals that are struggling with addiction. Follow these steps to help avoid that stigma.
If you are in need of a recovery center, learn more about Steps Recovery Center, a drug rehab in Utah, here.
Healing is a Journey
Healing is a journey. Life is full of roads to take and paths to follow, and healing is often one of those. Addict or not, everyone experiences healing throughout life, healing from choices, from pain, and from consequences. Healing is what allows us to recover from our stumbling, and to move on to be a better, stronger person.
Addiction and the way of life it causes is one of the many things that requires healing. There is healing from the addiction itself. There is healing from the damage it caused to others. There is the healing of self.
Addiction hurts the mind and body of the user. No matter the substance, it controls the addict in many ways. Healing allows recovery from that, but healing is more than just recovery. It is recognizing the power an addiction had and making a commitment to not return to it. It also requires recognizing and remembering worth; an addict can not only regain who they were and how they lived, but can become better. They can be more.
Amisha Patel said, “Life is all about evolution. What looks like a mistake to others has been a milestone in my life. Even if people have betrayed me, even if my heart was broken, even if people misunderstood or judged me, I have learned from these incidents. We are human and we make mistakes, but learning from them is what makes the difference.”
So many dominoes fall when addiction takes a hold of a family member or friend. Relationships can be strained, jobs lost, and lives shattered. To recover from addiction and to fully behold the damage that resulted can be devastating. It may even cause a strong desire to go back to the addiction instead of coping with the wreckage.
Part of the healing after recovery is to see the damage and to do what it takes to fix it. Life will never be the same after addiction, but you can use the struggle of overcoming addiction to start completely valuing your life and your relationships. Addiction can be a milestone in character growth. By fixing the damage that resulted from an addiction, a person can learn courage, humility, and diligence. So many other lessons are available in all aspects of the addiction recovery journey that leads to ultimate healing.
For some, this recognition and healing may be harder than the physical toll of recovery. In the end, healing is required to completely overcome addiction.
Hippocrates said, “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
Recognize healing as an opportunity and a journey. It is a hard road, but one that leads to a better place. Take it.
The Connection Between Exercise and Addiction Recovery
Exercise has been shown by many studies to be beneficial to your health, but this is especially true if you are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Even if you have never been involved in an “exercise program” before, starting some type of exercise can be extremely beneficial in your rehabilitation journey.
If the idea of “exercise” makes you think of sweating in an aerobics class or running outside, keep in mind that there are many different ways you can get exercise. It could be as simple as taking a daily walk or playing ping-pong with your kids, or it could be joining a local gym or attending a boot-camp-style program in your area. It could even be running or attending an aerobics class if you would like that.
The Health Benefits
Drugs and alcohol are harmful to your body, and most people who fall into a cycle of drug or alcohol abuse find that they neglect to take care of themselves in other areas. Not only does this cause physical damage and lead to a body that has more difficulty overcoming illness and participating in daily activities, it also has a psychological impact on your health. Regular exercise has been shown to provide:
- Weight loss
- Improved muscle strength
- More energy
- Better sleep
- Improved circulation
The Stress-Reducing Benefits
Many people who discover that they have a drug or alcohol addiction find that they did not begin just because they wanted to. For many it starts as a way to reduce tension and “take the edge off” of stress before it evolves into something that causes even more stress. Exercise has therapeutic benefits that include a release of endorphins that make you feel happy (the same thing that used to make you feel good when you used drugs or alcohol), which can help reduce stress and calm you down. Plus by undergoing physical exertion and releasing emotional energy, you can avoid looking for other negative ways to release those things.
The Routine Benefits
Another benefit of exercise is its ability to replace bad habits with healthier ones. For many people drug or alcohol use is simply part of their routine, and when they decide to quit, the time they have that used to be consumed with drug or alcohol use can feel empty. The more healthy routines you can create to fill that time, the less likely you will be thinking about resorting to your drug or alcohol addiction.
The Connection Benefits
Exercise is also something you can do with friends and family, which means it can be a way to build a support group. Plus people have been shown to be more likely to participate in exercise routines when they do them with someone else, so whether it’s a friend from your neighborhood, church group, or even from your support group, find someone who enjoys the same activities as you and will help you stay committed to exercising.
When you combing drug and alcohol rehabilitation with exercise, the results can be long lasting and amazing. Find an addiction recovery program that incorporates exercise and discover for yourself the benefits.