Road to Recovery Blog

How to be Successful in Recovery

Published: September 2, 2020

Once again, September is back with its usual vibrance, allowing everyone to celebrate the benefits of recovery from substance abuse. It’s the only month that pays respect to the hard-working therapists, counselors, and the affected families. The month has also helped in clearing out the misconceptions surrounding addiction recovery.

Launched in 1989 under the name “treatment works,” the mission gained an excellent reputation and was later named “National Recovery Month.” Its main objective is to reward therapeutics and to empower different families who are battling addiction.

Plugging out of substance abuse can be a daunting task, most especially if an individual has passed through a successive series of failures. The great news is that patients can apply some proven strategies to reduce the underlying cravings. Below are some great strategies that can help.

Spending Time Outside

It’s essential for drug patients to take a break from the house and get exposed to the fresh air from nature. For example, one can take the opportunity to visit the museum on a chilly Saturday evening. The experience can also be great if you invite your family to join along. Basically, spending time in nature gets you in touch with the beauty of existence and the joy of breathing fresh air from nature. That way, you can distract the mind away from negative thinking and cravings.

Spending time in nature is also proven to boost a person’s self-esteem. A study conducted in the United States by Professor Swami concluded that most drug patients who spent time out had improved moods and reduced stress.

Additionally, a person improves his sleeping pattern by getting exposed to nature during the day. Whether it’s taking a stroll in the garden or simply running in the field, the key idea is to get yourself in an open environment where you are less likely to feel lonely.

Fun Reading Novels

Reading a novel can be a great idea if you’re looking for a means of distracting your mind away from cravings. If you’re a drug patient, you can start by making a target of one chapter per week or one chapter in their days. Just be careful not to make an exaggerated target—It’s just a fun activity.

 And of course, reading books is not everyone’s interest. For those who have difficulty in reading books, you can try playing board games. Board games encompass games like chess, draught, and checkers. It’s crucial that you choose a fun activity that can get you engaged.

Meditation

Meditation may not be a strange term to many ears, but it generally involves concentrating the mind on a single activity or a single thought. For example, drug patients recovering from addiction can practice the art of systematic breathing.

In systematic breathing, you focus your attention on your breathing pattern as you take long, deep breaths. Other people may prefer to amplify meditation with slow body movements. For example, you can try flexing your arm in a slow rhythmic pattern as you focus your attention on muscle movements.

Meditation has gained a significant reputation in the field of rehabilitation, and most therapists prefer using it during therapists. Not to mention that meditation also boosts body immunity. According to research conducted by David S and George (2016), meditation seems to be positively associated with reduced inflammations and reduced aging of the cell.  One of the most significant advantages of meditation is that it can be done almost anywhere.

Healthy Group Works

Group activities are definitely a great way of battling addiction. You only need to ensure that the group is healthy and positive. Some of the best group activities may include taking part in debates, watching a football match, playing soccer, watching a rugby match, and many others.

Alternatively, You can call two or three friends at your place and play some great music. The key point is to keep the mind engaged as much as possible, leaving no space for boredom or idleness.

Self-Congratulations

While self-congratulation may not be a common practice in most people, it’s certainly a great way of keeping motivated. Quitting an addiction is genuinely a daunting task and may throw you terrible challenges during the recovery process.

 It may be helpful to realize that the reward will be better than the efforts. Those wondering how to practice self-motivation can start by making a goal or a target. Keep the targets as easy as possible so that you can accomplish them. For example, an addict recovering from addiction can start by doing two minutes of meditation each day. If he’s lucky enough to make it to the weekend, then he should reward himself with some nice meal. We all need motivation as a fuel to keep going, but sometimes we have no one to motivate us. That’s why it’s important to practice self-motivation regularly.

Breaking Goals Into Small Milestones

People recovering from addiction may be tempted to take on big goals. It’s a great habit to be ambitious, but it’s also important to take on goals that will not get you demotivated. For example, if you had the goal of waking up early, you can start by setting the alarm five minutes ahead each day rather than you take a shot only to fail. Breaking down tasks can also save you the hustle of having to revise your goals continuously. No one wants to get discouraged while making positive progress.

 Regularly Exercise

Exercise is not only important for drug patients but also for everyone who wants to stay healthy. Regular Exercising has been proved to boost a person’s moods and even better sleeping habits. During exercise, dopamine hormones are released, and that triggers the feeling of wellbeing. Training does not necessarily require a gym to be effective; any person can do great by simply doing pushups, squats, or bench press. Alternatively, you can decide to jog for fifteen minutes each day, and that would be better than nothing at all.