Life after rehab can be full of potential, but it is also full of challenges. Finding ways to maintain sobriety, especially in the first days, weeks and eventually months, is often difficult. With that said, there are ways to maintain sober living after rehab – an individual just needs to partake in a few of these activities every day in order to stay sober and aid their addiction recovery.
Stay active
One of the best ways to avoid falling back into the clutch of addiction is to stay active. Whether this is taking long walks, biking, working out or really doing anything else that helps get the heart pumping and the body moving, it will help you stay sober. The endorphins released during physical activity also reduce the level of stress someone might feel while going through the early stages of sobriety.
Routine
Starting up with a routine is helpful. Many people fall back into drugs and alcohol addiction because something comes out of nowhere, causing a sudden spike of stress. This may lead to someone turning back to their drug of choice. Following a routine can help prevent sudden stresses causing problems, which helps maintain this quality level of living.
Write it down
Keeping a journal is a great way to stay on top of what is going on and to write out what might be causing urges. Someone might not realize there is a pattern in these causes, but when writing it all out, it does become much clearer. A journal can also help when talking with a counselor or working with a professional – you can go over old thoughts.
Stay around encouraging people
Negative minds and negative people have a tendency of bringing other people down to their level. This is a problem for individuals going through early levels of sobriety. That negative attitude can be poison, so instead you need to maintain contact with encouraging people and do whatever you can to stick with these kinds of helpful individuals. This can go a long way toward making sure a person stays sober.