“It is clear that persevering through difficulty
and pain is the God-ordained path to maturity.” – Steve Arterburn
Has life been hard for you lately? Have you lost your job? Are you going through a divorce? Have you or a loved one been struggling with health issues? To make matters even worse, you are also struggling with addiction.
But overcoming an addiction is easier said than done. To help you, here are some things you can do to recover, even when times are difficult.
To start, have a good support system in place.
Are you going to a 12-step recovery group? If not, we recommend that you find a Life Recovery Group in your area. Once you start going to a Life Recovery Group, you will need to find a sponsor or mentor who will help to hold you accountable. It will help you to talk with your sponsor once a day or so until you are sober for at least a few months.
Likewise, you will need to see a licensed counselor who will help you develop a plan for recovery. But if you already have one, you must keep your appointments with them. These days, many counselors are offering tele-counseling. They can contact you over the phone, online, or through video chats. By having a counselor and a few other safe people to turn to, you greatly improve your chance of recovery during difficult times.
Next, take care of yourself physically.
Having healthy habits will help you to lower your stress levels, preventing you from a relapse. If you aren’t already exercising, you will need to exercise at least 30 minutes 4-5 times a week. Start by walking briskly. Exercise has been shown to decrease depression, elevate your mood, and improve your overall health.
Also, get enough rest at night. Be sure to turn off electronics at least an hour before bedtime. Try to eat a balanced diet of whole foods, while decreasing the amount of processed foods. And be sure to include a multivitamin that has Omega 3’s.
Are you eating too much or too little? Use a food diary to track how much you’re eating and how you’re feeling when you eat. Then when you see a counselor, doctor, or sponsor, you can let them know about any of your struggles in this area.
Finally, decide to keep going.
Even if you have a good support system and take care of yourself physically, there will be times when you mess up. If you do relapse, the best thing to do is to start over again. Call a sponsor, friend, or counselor and let them know you are struggling. Next, stop using and begin to get back into a Life Recovery Group if you haven’t gone to one recently.
No matter what, don’t be too hard on yourself. Once you get back into recovery, you will be back on the road to recovery in no time. No doubt, success in recovery means that your life will become less difficult. You will continue to grow and mature when you take it one step at a time.
Life is so hard. But it’s even harder when you don’t have anyone with whom you can walk through this difficult time. Call us at 800-NEW-LIFE. We are here for you. And we’d love to help you!