How to Prevent Relapse and Stay Sober

Member

By jpwriter
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (11 Ratings)

Stop relapse before it happens.

It's been said that getting clean and sober is easy, but staying sober is the hard part. For many alcoholics or drug addicts stopping the use of alcohol and/or drugs can be the easy part of battling alcoholism or addiction. Don't misunderstand. In no way does this mean the actual withdrawal process or life as an addicted person is whatsoever easy. Preventing relapse is essential to recovery.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

willingness
perseverance
honesty
support
creativity

Step 1

Keep the bottle away.

To prevent relapse do not drink. If you don't put alcohol into your body, you don't get drunk. The same principle applies to using drugs. This is one of those easy things to say and harder than heck to follow. At the end of the day though no matter what other things that you do and no matter how hard it was to get through the cravings, if you don't actually pick it up you wont restart the cycle of addiction in your body.
Step 2

Find positive support that makes you feel good and leads toward health and recovery. For example, if you like writing, join a writing group. Choose activities or hobbies that increase your self-esteem and boost confidence. Increasing self esteem will increase your chances of staying sober.

Choose people in your life that will be supportive of your decision not to drink or do drugs. It can be hard to find other people who do not drink but they are out there. You might be the person who has stopping drinking and using drugs, but this does not mean that you have to allow any kind of behavior to happen around you. Get really picky about the people that you want in your life. Sometimes this will be very hard and can be painful.
Step 3

Write it down.

Set goals. Make a list of things you want to accomplish. These goals can be as diverse as you. They can be "small" goals like watching a sunset to something big, such as going to college, saving money to buy a house or car, repairing your credit, and so on. Don't be afraid to dream big.
Step 4

Dip your toes. Start slow.

Try new things. For many alcoholics and addict their lives were so deeply involved with the relationship with their addiction that life passes them by. Figuring out the foods, places, or activities that you didn't get to participate in because you were not fully present is really important. Some things cost money, some are free, it depends on what you want. Start slow. If you've never been swimming and you want to go, but don't want to jump in the river all at once then sit by the edge and put your toes in the water.
Step 5

Pay attention to triggers. Certain times of the year may be harder, like holidays, birthdays, or an anniversary of a traumatic or stressful event. During these times, place extra support in your life. You can go to an AA or NA meeting, avoid triggering places or people, have a friend around, or draw on your other coping skills. If you find a new trigger that makes you feel like getting high or having a drink make sure to make a mental note (or write it down) about what it was so that you know how you can handle it in the future.
Step 6

Always have a plan.

To stay sober and prevent relapse you need to always have an escape plan if you are going to places where alcohol is available. This can mean driving your own car so you can leave if you're uncomfortable, having a person to call to pick you up, or taking someone with you that supports your sobriety. If you're struggling in your recovery, make alternative plans. Protect your sobriety at all costs.
Step 7

Staying clean and sober is hard. Go easy on yourself. Pay attention to how far you have come. Stopping drinking (or using drugs) is difficult and a huge accomplishment all by itself. Preventing relapse is part of recovery.
Step 8

Never give up and hold on like this is your life. Sometimes recovery is not always graceful, but as long as you keep fighting it doesn't matter.