Alcoholism is a disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It can be difficult to recover from this addiction, but there are many things that recovering alcoholics can do in order to make the transition easier for themselves and their loved ones. In this blog post, we will discuss 8 tips for recovering alcoholics – both those who are currently struggling with addiction and those who want to prevent relapse.
- Get rid of all the alcohol in your home. When it’s in your home, it poses the highest risk of being a trigger for relapse. Your home should be a safe space for you to focus on positive behavior and living a healthy lifestyle.
- Reach out to loved ones, friends, and family for help. It can be very difficult to stay sober on your own. Having the support of those around you can be one of your greatest assets in recovery. Furthermore, it’s important that they know what you are going through so that they can act accordingly when around you (i.e. no drinking around you, hide liquor when you are over).
- Make a list of all the negative consequences that have come from drinking too much for yourself or others. Sometimes, all you need is a reminder that you are not the only one who has suffered because of your addiction. You can also make a list for yourself of all the positive things in life that you’re missing out on because alcohol is taking up so much time and energy in your life.
- Journal about how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking throughout the day. Journaling is a great lifestyle habit for just about anyone, but it can be particularly useful for a recovering alcoholic. Many people have a difficult time processing their thoughts and feelings, so writing them down is an effective way to prevent relapse or even make you feel better in the moment if there are triggers that pop up throughout the day.
- Find an addiction therapist and go through Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. There are many benefits to these activities, and they can be extremely helpful for those trying to build a new life without alcohol. Being around like-minded people who have experienced similar challenges is very fulfilling; it’s also an excellent way of rebuilding building up the self-esteem that may have been lost due to addiction or escapism behaviors.
- Join a health club or exercise class. If you are having a hard time resisting the urge to drink, try working out as much as possible. You’ll burn calories and be able to feel good about yourself throughout your recovery process. Exercising is also helpful for emotional well-being.
- Avoid bars or clubs with alcohol heavy heavy alcoholic atmospheres where people might pressure you to drink more than usual. You should also avoid any events that you know might be a trigger for relapse.
- Try finding a new hobby like working out, going to coffee shops, hikes in the park, etc. Having new habits to replace old ones can be beneficial for recovering alcoholics and it can remind you what you’ve been missing out on.
If you are a recovering alcoholic, these are just some of the things that you can do to helpdo help with to improve ease the recovery process. Remember, each individual has certain things that work better for them and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Finding what works the best for you will take some effort, but the results will be worth it.
