Committing to sobriety is never an easy decision. But if you’re considering it, you’re probably already feeling the damaging effects addiction has had on your life. Even if it might feel impossible right now, changing your life is within your power.
Your journey to sobriety will be difficult, but rewarding. You’ll be able to rebuild your relationships with others and with yourself, and live a fulfilling, empowering life.
Admit it to yourself
The first step is admitting you’re abusing drugs or alcohol. One of the hardest things you can do is face your addiction head-on. You’ve likely made excuses and shifted blame for the problems in your life since you started using. When you’re ready to own up to your addiction, you’re creating the space for reflection and change.
Think about the pros and cons of using versus getting sober. You’ll see that the benefits of sobriety far outweigh continuing the path of destruction. This is also a good time to journal daily about your feelings and experiences. Documenting your emotions at this crossroads can help you to better understand yourself and your motivations for sobriety.
Reflect on your loved ones
Think about how your usage affects those around you. You’ve most likely damaged many of your relationships and your family and friends have missed a real emotional connection with you. If some of your current relationships revolve around using substances, you’ll need to reevaluate them.
A major key to getting sober is eliminating triggers and enablers, which means you might need to set new boundaries in your relationships. Try having honest conversations with people you care for about how your substance abuse has affected them. Their openness will add credence to your decision to seek treatment.
Build up your support system
As you begin to reevaluate how your relationships have been affected by your substance abuse, you’ll need support from friends and family. Let them know you have a problem and you’re finally doing something about it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Research shows that treatments for addiction are much more successful if there’s a strong supportive community involved.
If your family and friends are reluctant to trust you, consider going to family counseling together. Look for ways to rebuild their trust by keeping your promises and following through with your actions. It is likely that these relationships can be repaired and improved in time and becoming sober is the best way to accomplish this.
Get into rehab and therapy
After evaluating your life, the next step is to take action. Remember: getting sober is a radical decision that will change every aspect of your life. Start exploring your treatment options. You should choose the right treatment program that will lead to success. No avenue is one-size-fits-all.
Typically, the first part of treatment is detoxification. This is usually best done under the supervision of medical professionals. After detox, you may spend time at an inpatient rehab for a period of one to six months. You might be prescribed medications to help the detoxification process as well as address the underlying issues related to your addiction, such as depression or anxiety.
After the acute phase of early treatment, you’ll need continued long-term therapy to help you understand the roots of your addiction. A therapist will help you build healthy coping mechanisms so that you can confront stressful situations without returning to drugs or alcohol. With a strong support system and a good therapist, your treatment is more likely to be successful for the long haul.
To find out more about how therapy can help you begin your sobriety journey, please reach out to us at Mindworthy Therapy. It’s never too late for a new beginning.
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