What Does Recovery Look Like?

Depending on the person, addiction treatment can look like many things. When in recovery, the most important thing to understand is that everyone’s process of recovering is different from another. Perseverance is key.

On the first day of recovery, you may experience withdrawal symptoms that can take the form of intense cravings and doubting yourself. For most, this is the hardest stage, as it requires an immense amount of willpower to continue on your part.

After about a month of working with a 12-step treatment program, aspects of your new life will appear in the form of new, healthy relationships and removing the negative parts of your old life. Then, in one year, you will likely transition out of rehab, confident and assured with a fresh, new mindset.

8 Ways to Start a New Life After Addiction

Addiction is never easy, but life after addiction can be just as difficult. To help you find some ease in the post-treatment stage, here are some ways to improve your circumstances and find comfort in your present situation.

1. Give yourself time

Before you begin your journey to a life free of addiction, understand that healing is not a linear path. It will take time to get back to the person you were before addiction, and until then, it is necessary to give yourself patience and compassion.

During recovery, there may be days when you are harder on yourself than others. Use these days as pockets of strength for moving forward and getting closer to your healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle goals.

2. Apologize and move on

When someone is in the throes of substance abuse, it’s not unlikely that the relationships around them will suffer. It is difficult for loved ones to watch their friend, family member, or partner go through personal struggles. Often, the drug addict will seem bitter and less affectionate toward others.

In recovery, take the opportunity to reach out to people you may have upset in the wake of your addiction and attempt to mend any hard feelings through honesty, apology, and a willingness to do better. Rebuilding trust is the most important factor here, and it will require time and effort from both parties in the relationship.

3. Cut all ties with your previous life

As difficult as it may be, the only way to completely change your life after long-term drug addiction is to cut ties with people who supported your addiction. Regardless of their relationship with you, it could pose negative influences on your journey and make it more difficult to continue treatment.

Leaving old friends and toxic family members behind may be hard to bear, but exposing yourself to situations involving substance abuse could tempt you to use again. It is important to remain faithful to your journey and focus on building relationships based on support, health, and happiness.

4. Join a support group

Consider joining a support group for like-minded individuals who have been in similar circumstances. This will allow you to form new relationships with people who understand your experiences and support your healing journey.

Support groups can pose a sense of community, belonging, and support to recovering drug addicts. Some groups to consider include Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), ALANA Recovery’s Alumni Program offers continuing addiction recovery support for those who complete our program.

5. Build positive interests and hobbies

As you begin to frequent new locations and meet new people, you will have more opportunities to find things that bring you joy and contentment within your newfound lifestyle. Consider taking up a new hobby or interest in music, writing, art, or anything else that seems appealing to you.

At first, it can be difficult to adjust to new ways of finding comfort that don't involve substance abuse. However, this will become easier over time as you become exposed to lifestyles where self-care and enjoyment are prioritized in a healthy way.

6. Focus on your health

Once you surround yourself with healthy relationships and environments, you may experience a newfound sense of responsibility for your health. After all, recovery is the best time to focus on getting your life back on track.

Consider following a new diet plan or making more effort to exercise and take care of your body. As an addict, it’s easy to fall away from caring for yourself and neglect your basic needs; now, it’s time to show yourself respect and compassion through healthy eating and exercise.

7. Allow yourself to rest

The average day of a person going through drug addiction can often look very restless. Depending on your situation in the past, your body may need time to adjust to a normal sleeping schedule after frequent sleepless nights.

While in recovery, allow your body to receive the rest it needs in the form of eight hours of sleep each night. Rest is essential to your health and will eventually get you to a place where you have a better mood, improved memory, and higher energy levels.

8. Set and fulfill goals

You took the first step to recovery by setting a goal to pull through all the hardships and challenges along the way. Now, it’s time to continue setting goals that will help you continue improving and growing as a person.

Remember that setting a goal is one thing, but following through with one is another. When you set a goal – even small ones, like brushing your teeth in the morning – outline the steps required to make that happen. For instance, this can look like laying your toothbrush and toothpaste on the bathroom counter before going to bed, to remind you to fulfill that goal in the morning.