After suffering from drug addiction and undergoing rehabilitation, you want to try everything to stay healthy and sober while at home. Having a relapse and developing an addiction again is the last thing you want. Finding ways to stay clean and sober therefore becomes paramount. But how do you ensure you achieve this? Here are the tips to help you stay clean and sober after rehab.
Identify Personal Triggers and Recognize Relapse Signs
Once you get home, you will start experiencing external triggers that might easily pull you into using it again. People, things, places, and situations you experienced before can act as external triggers. You can also experience internal triggers such as feelings, emotions, or thoughts associated with drugs and substances that can pull you back into using them. You need to identify these triggers to avoid relapse and increase your chances of staying clean. You should also be keen and recognize the warning signs of relapse. Engaging in compulsive behaviors, thinking less rationally, and returning to addictive thinking patterns are among the warning signs you should recognize and work towards handling them.
Building Healthy Relationships
To a larger extent, who you interact with determines if you stay clean and for how long after drug rehab. As a tip to stay clean and sober, ensure that you build and maintain healthy relationships. This is important, especially if your past relationships were among the reasons you started abusing drugs and developed an addiction. To develop healthy relationships, you need self-realization and understand the people and company around you. With a healthy relationship, you can also concentrate on getting better and becoming productive again in the community. Seek help if you find it hard to build healthy relationships after drug rehab.
Practice Healthy Living
You should expect chronic addiction cases to take a big toll on your physical and emotional health. After your time in drug rehab, it is time to prioritize self-care. This means you should focus on and practice healthy living to help you build fortitude to remain sober. While it might take time to achieve your desired results, you should be persistent and commit to healthy living. Seek professional guidance from healthcare providers such as nutritionists or find research resources to read more on the best healthy living practices. Getting ample quality sleep, exercising regularly, eating well-balanced meals regularly, and making time for recreational activities are among the healthy living practices you should consider.
Building a Financial Plan
Financial problems are among the triggers that will hinder your efforts to stay clean and sober after rehab. Apart from looking for a job to sustain your financial needs, you should also seek knowledge of financial management. It is important to avoid getting into debt as this will lead to mental health disorders such as stress, creating a relapse. You should not rush but take baby steps that will allow you to put your finances in order. Work with a vocational rehab counselor or career coach to get the needed help. These professionals will help you reorganize your career path and financial plan and make it possible to be productive again.
Prepare Your Story
People around you will always want to know your addiction story and your time in the rehab facility. While this can be overwhelming, how you approach the situation and give out your story influences your life henceforth. Be willing to share your story positively. It will also be easier to be a driver of change in the community and, in the process, commit to staying clean and sober. Let your story be your motivation to stay clean and lead by example.
Your time in the rehab facility is only part of the recovery process. When you go back home, you have to deal with many issues and triggers that might pull you into relapse. Understanding what to do and practicing productive tips can help you stay clean and sober after rehab.
