Living a life of addiction or alcoholism is far from being balanced. Addiction is full of stress and chaos, and when in active addiction, most of the day is spent either getting, using, or recovering from a high. Once a person decides to get clean, trying to maintain a healthy balance between work and life can be quite difficult. Recovery helps you to learn how to live your life free from drugs and alcohol. It teaches you how to prevent relapse, better manage your time, and find the right balance between work and life. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says the following about a healthy balance in addiction recovery:
Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Even people with severe and chronic substance use disorders can, with help, overcome their illness and regain health and social function. This is called remission. Being in recovery is when those positive changes and values become part of a voluntarily adopted lifestyle. While many people in recovery believe that abstinence from all substance use is a cardinal feature of a recovery lifestyle, others report that handling negative feelings without using substances and living a contributive life are more important parts of their recovery. (NIDA)
Maintaining a Healthy Balance in Addiction Recovery
Recovery is not an easy process. Trying to stay busy can be hard for so many recovering addicts. Staying positive, having fun, and practicing self-care are all necessary parts of a healthy recovery. It creates a healthy balance and helps to prevent stress and boredom. Also, doing things that you enjoy helps to restore your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. A healthy recovery must have a healthy balance. An integral part of this is incorporating self-care and fun activities into your life. Here are some things you can consider to help you create a good balance and reduce stress in your life:
- Develop a daily routine – Structure is an essential part of recovery. Creating a daily routine, using a calendar, and practicing good time management skills are great to ensure you stay busy, especially when you are newly out of treatment. Also, it’s good to set short- and long-term goals. This will give you something to work toward each day.
- Have fun, don’t be boring – Participating in healthy activities that you enjoy can help to prevent relapse. This will help keep you happy, lower stress, and prevent boredom.
- Give back to others / be of service – Giving back is one of the best things you can do while in recovery because it’s a selfless act of one human being simply helping another.. Helping others is therapeutic, fulfilling, and helps to decrease stress and depression.
- Schedule social time – Having a strong social support system is a must. Connect with other people in recovery by attending meetings or a regular support group.
- Exercise and healthy eating – Exercising and eating a healthy diet are both great for your entire well-being. Both can help reduce anxiety, depression, stress, and can also help ease any withdrawal symptoms. Also, it gives you something to do and can help reduce any negative feelings which could trigger a relapse.
- Meditate and be mindful – Meditation reduces stress levels immediately and also improves your body’s future response to stress.
- Get adequate sleep – The body needs adequate sleep to function optimally. At least 8 hours of sleep each night helps to stabilize mood, improve concentration and focus, and also helps strengthen your body’s immune system.
Recovering from addiction is hard. It’s something you have to work at every day and will have to continue working at it for the rest of your life. Some days are going to be a lot easier than others, but having a good structure, balance, and staying happy will help lead you on a road to long-term recovery.
We Offer Treatment for Substance Use Disorders
If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction, our addiction specialists are available around the clock to assist you. Evoke Wellness at Miramar offers cutting-edge addiction treatment. We offer a safe environment and treat our clients with respect. We specialize in making sure our patients have the most comfortable detox process possible. You no longer have to continue to suffer out of fear. Give us a call today for more information on how we can assist you or a loved one with addiction recovery.
