When adjusting your lifestyle to accommodate your recovery, finding ways to hold yourself accountable and track your progress can be hard. For those who may not know what that means, staying sober is a process of changing behaviors and habits and rehabilitating the mind and body. Exercising self-control over certain vices is necessary for addicts who remain abstinent. While you’re undergoing this process, there are five important ways to hold yourself accountable.
Using accountability partners
During recovery, it is important to use accountability partners to help reduce cravings. A friend or family member you trust to encourage you in times of difficulty will help reduce stressful triggers, making it easier to stay focused on positive goals. This gives people someone reliable to vent to when they’re struggling, but it also keeps them from acting out in negative ways.
Using a journal
Journaling can also help people stay accountable during their recovery process. This is beneficial for addicts because it gives them a way to track their progress and identify triggers for their cravings. While writing down these things may feel embarrassing or difficult, this approach will prepare the person to face temptation once again after rehab ends.
It’s important to keep a positive attitude because dwelling on old negative behaviors you used to engage in past addictions doesn’t increase the chances of avoiding relapse in future addiction. Without positive reinforcement, focusing too much on staying sober becomes overwhelming and stressful, increasing anxiety past the breaking point and triggering a relapse.
Joining support groups
Addicts in recovery should join support groups to understand what they’re going through because their addiction was similar. Meeting up with others who have been clean for years will boost your confidence, knowing that other people are willing not just to listen but provide guidance on how they successfully stayed sober themselves long after rehab ended.
One way to find these groups online is by searching for drug recovery communities near you or joining online forums which connect addicts. Group sessions can give addicts an opportunity to meet regularly with people who are still recovering, which may boost their motivation by seeing others taking the right steps.
Exercise
Exercise is also a great means for holding yourself accountable during recovery. It promotes mental health through increased brain function and emotional stability (exercise reduces depression), making it easier for addicts to resist temptations that could derail their sobriety. For those who are able, regular exercise also promotes physical health. It reduces the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes that could be detrimental to recovery.
Working with a therapist
One reason therapy is so beneficial during recovery is that it holds the addict accountable by giving them a safe place to discuss their addiction without fear of judgment or confrontation. Therapy can also help addicts see problems in their lives more objectively, leading to long-term success for those who are willing. Therapy can also be a great way for addicts to connect with others experiencing similar problems, which is another good tool for fighting addiction.
Holding yourself accountable during recovery is the best way to ensure success. Many people get caught up in things they aren’t ready for and end up relapsing. The best thing you can do is take it slow and be sure that you’re in it for the long haul when you are ready to go in.
Recovery is a process, and it’s a tough one. If you’re ready to do it, then go in with all your heart and soul because there is no going back once you’ve crossed that line into addiction. If you’re in Houston or the surrounding areas, visit https://www.infiniterecovery.com/drug-rehab-houston/ to learn more about addiction treatment programs and how they can help you quit alcohol or drugs successfully.
