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Even after someone has gone through intensive recovery programs and become an active alumnus, or even after someone has celebrated their first, second, or third year in sobriety, there will still constantly be a battle to maintain one’s self-esteem and motivation. Just because someone has been through an addiction treatment program doesn’t mean that their recovery journey has somehow ended completely and that they will never experience the urge to drink, use drugs, or the anxiety or depression that may come with any kind of addiction or mental health disorder. Finding ways for each person to continue to feel good about themselves and their recovery can help combat feelings of relapse early and provide necessary skills that can help encourage continued success.
There Will Still Be Constant Struggles
Even if someone has been sober for years, it can be impossible to say that someone will never experience a trigger or stressor to once again reengage with self-destructive or addictive behaviors and the depression or anxiety that may come with them. However, keeping motivated can help someone be prepared with the necessary self-confidence and self-esteem for the continuing fight against addiction. Celebrating holidays, dark and gloomy seasons, or even sports can all carry connotations that may be constantly difficult to deal with sober. As a result, it is important to find various ways to continue to be confident in oneself, as well as comfortable in their own skin and secure with the decisions in their lives.
Create a Sober Holiday
Creating a holiday that is important to oneself and that reinforces the importance and accomplishments of sobriety can help remind someone of the positive nature of recovery. While recovery and grounding techniques may seem like various strategies to combat urges or stressors, recovery is truly a transformational experience intended to help people realize their own happiness and potential outside of the world of drugs, alcohol, or any other kinds of addiction that may have been present. These holidays can be situated on someone’s sober birthday, or even simply scheduled for a time of year where the family can consistently get together. Having a dedicated day in which to celebrate all of the difficult trials someone has overcome, and the progress they have made in their own personal lives, can reinforce this positive, transformational meaning of recovery, and help someone constantly keep track of the strength it took for them to achieve such goals.
Keep a Journal or Create a Physical Representation of Success
Keeping physical records of one’s progress through their own recovery process and beyond can be a way to keep track of all of the positives that sobriety has brought them. It can be easy to lose track of the good parts of one’s life if someone begins to feel like anxiety, depression, or constant exposure to stressors in their daily life. However, physically writing down the way someone felt on a good day, and how their sobriety helped them achieve that happiness, can be a reinforcement tool. Having a short entry in a journal about going on a small trip or traveling somewhere with the family without the worry of stressors or even one’s relationship with the family can remind someone of the progress they have made. A collage of photographs may help someone constantly expose themselves to their own, genuine moments of happiness in their lives. They can look back on photographs of when they were on a vacation with family, friends, or loved ones without a drink in sight. Seeing these smiles and positive memories can instill not just a sense of pride in oneself, but also serve as a reminder of the support and love that is around them in their recovery and beyond.
Avoid Comparisons
Comparisons can make someone unfairly judge themselves against others. Whether it be comparing one’s self to others in the workplace, or in their personal lives, constant comparisons can have a negative impact on one’s own mental health and can compromise one’s motivation to maintain their sobriety in the years to come. While it is fine to set goals for one’s self, it is also important to constantly remind one’s self that each person has their own strengths, and it is more important to focus on the various ways in which someone has progressed in their own lives and built upon skills that only they can provide. Comparing one’s self to others without first taking into consideration all of the other factors at play in life can lead someone to unfairly compromise their own self-esteem, and begin to judge themselves based on another’s metric, doing little justice to one’s self or their own strengths and goals.
There will be constant stressors to one’s self-esteem and motivation long past when one’s recovery program ends. Participating in an alumni program can help people keep their own recovery at the forefront of their minds, but it is equally as important to constantly evaluate one’s own self-esteem on a personal front as well. Recovery as a transformational experience doesn’t have a definite end date, and thus, is a constant balance of experiencing stress, while rewarding one’s self for their strength and success.
Throughout the recovery process, you will still meet many hurdles. Maintaining motivation and self-esteem, even through the most difficult of times in recovery, can help someone continue to combat stressors and urges in recovery and progress towards their own personal goals. If you or a loved one are struggling with maintaining your coping skills or dealing with the stresses that can be constant through the recovery process, START UP RECOVERY can help you. With a luxurious, live-in community that prioritizes fellowship by building on each individual’s strengths and goals, each person is encouraged to personalize their own recovery path and share these experiences with each other, all while maintaining an atmosphere of comfort and luxury. For more information on the various ways that START UP RECOVERY can help you, or to speak to a caring, trained staff member about your unique situation and stage in recovery, call us today at (310) 773-3809.