Addiction recovery is a life-long journey that can be filled with many ups and downs. Overcoming addiction doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to live a sober life. People in recovery face triggers, urges, and cravings to abuse drugs even when they are sober. This is why developing essential life skills for addiction recovery is important so you can help support your road to recovery and reduce your risk of relapse. Below are several essential life skills for addiction recovery you should consider developing if you haven’t already.
At Outpatient LA, we are a leading outpatient drug rehab in Los Angeles that offers individualized care to best meet your recovery needs. From healing your physical health to your mental well-being, we offer a variety of addiction treatment options to ensure you receive the personalized treatment you need to lead a healthier, happier life. Contact us today to learn more about how we can best support your recovery journey.
5 Key Life Skills to Support Your Addiction Recovery
Research found that 7 in 10 adults who ever had a substance use problem considered themselves to be recovering or in recovery, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recovery can be difficult, this is why it’s important to practice and develop these life skills below so you can work toward living a healthier, happier life free from drugs.
Asking for Help
It’s important to feel comfortable asking for help from others. Whether you are struggling with your triggers or cravings during recovery, or you are struggling with another issue outside of your recovery journey, it’s important to not be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help from others is not a weakness, but a strength in recognizing you cannot and should not live life all on your own.
Setting Goals for Your Recovery
Goal-setting, especially when it comes to setting goals for your recovery journey, is another key life skill. Rather than making one broad goal of achieving lifelong sobriety, you can develop small, specific goals that can make your road to recovery less daunting. For example, depending on where you are at in your recovery journey, you can set time-specific goals (ie. 1 month of sobriety) or activity goals (ie. attending weekly support groups).
Practicing Healthy Coping Skills
Many healthy coping skills like journaling, exercising, and spending quality time with people who are positive influences in your life are also healthy habits you should practice to achieve a good quality of life. Healthy coping skills not only help reduce your risk of relapsing but also build you up to create a lifestyle that is fulfilling and that takes care of your mental and physical health and well-being.
Managing Your Emotions in a Healthy Manner
It can be easy to let your emotions get the best of you. However, not having healthy control over your emotions can lead you down a slippery slope of relapsing. Therefore, another essential life skill for addiction recovery is learning how to manage your emotions in a healthy manner, such as speaking with a therapist or journaling, rather than turning to drugs or alcohol to cope with negative emotions.
Understanding How to Manage Stress Without Relapsing
Stress is a normal part of life. It’s important to understand how to manage your stress, without having to turn to drugs to find short-term relief for your stress. Consider exercising, going to therapy, or practicing art or music as ways you can manage stress in your life in a healthy manner.
Ready to Break Free of Addiction?
Now you know the various essential life skills for addiction recovery you need to practice and develop. From being comfortable asking for help to setting goals to maintain your recovery, these life skills will not only help support your recovery journey, but also live a better life. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it’s critical you seek professional help so you can receive the care that you need to lead a healthier, happier quality of life.
Our compassionate team of addiction specialists are here to help you safely progress along your recovery journey. At Outpatient LA, we offer a wide range of addiction treatment options so you can receive the tailored care you need to heal, grow, and progress along your addiction recovery journey. From partial hospitalization to our intensive outpatient program, we offer various programs to support your recovery needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your recovery journey.