After addiction treatment in Vancouver, a lot of people become worried about how to stay sober. Understandably, the prospect of trying to stay sober and avoid addiction relapse can be a scary one. However, with the right tips and a certain level of determination, you can stay sober. To stay on the road to addiction recovery, you have to put in a lot of effort and make major changes in your lifestyle. 

The thought of life in Vancouver after addiction treatment can be quite conflicting. On one hand, you are looking forward to resuming your normal life substance-free. On the other hand, the fear of how to avoid a relapse can put a damper on your emotions. Notwithstanding, one thing you must always keep in mind is that it is very possible to remain clean following recovery. In this blog post, we are going to give you some essential tips that will show you how to stay sober after addiction treatment.

During addiction recovery, getting clean is the easy part. Staying sober is a constant struggle that you may have to deal with every day. However, in this phase of your recovery, every sober day is a victory. There will be challenges and temptations. Fortunately, you can learn to outrightly avoid these temptations and overcome the challenges. 

To help make your addiction recovery journey easier, we will be sharing some tips with you. These tips are recommended by experts with years of experience dealing with alcohol and substance abuse. Keep reading to find out how you can avoid a relapse and stay sober following your treatment.

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Tips To Help You Stay Sober After Addiction Treatment

Staying drug-free is the most important part of your addiction recovery. These simple steps will help you significantly on your journey to remaining sober. 

Get a Support System.

The road to staying sober is not one you want to travel alone. A good way to ensure sobriety is to surround yourself with people that can help you achieve your aim. Make sure that the people that you are constantly in contact with care about your sobriety status. Those calls and check-ins can give you the strength to continue on this path.

More importantly, the people that you surround yourself with should be sober. It will not help to have people that still use drugs and abuse alcohol around you. They will only constitute a temptation to go back to drugs. Instead, you can look for and join support groups around you.

Check Your Environment

Your direct environment has a huge role to play in keeping you from substance use. Granted, you may have kicked the habit by going through addiction treatment in Vancouver. However, you want to ensure that you do not go back to your old habits. To ensure that you do not relapse into your old addiction ways, you have to check your environment. More importantly, you have to make changes where necessary. 

To stay sober after addiction treatment, you must get rid of miscellaneous items that are reminiscent of drug use. If possible, before you come out of treatment, ask a trusted person to remove any drug paraphernalia from your home.

If that may not be possible, then as soon as you get home, get rid of such items. Also, try to avoid going to places that can rekindle memories of substance abuse. Memories can be quite powerful temptations, especially if you are in places where they are strongest. To avoid such temptations, do not go to places that can spark those feelings.

Set Goals

Setting goals for the future is a good way to keep going and avoid addiction relapse. Having a goal in mind will help you better manage temptations and cravings when they arise. Also, your goals are constant reminders of the benefits you will derive from being sober. The key is to keep them simple. Set reasonable daily goals that will keep you on track. 

Follow Up Your Treatments

Most addiction treatment centers in Vancouver schedule follow-up appointments with their patients. To give yourself the best chances of staying sober, keep up with any subsequent treatment sessions you have. 

These treatments will help you touch base with an expert that can help you deal with any challenges you may be having. Part of learning how to stay sober after addiction treatment is recognizing that you can’t do it on your own. Expert help is always a plus!

Create New and Healthy Habits

If you are trying to kick your addiction habits and stay that way, then it is a good idea to get a new habit to replace it. Only this time, make it a healthy one. It takes between six and eight weeks for a new habit to become ingrained. 

You can pick up a hobby or a slightly challenging project. This way you always have something to do. And more importantly, you are always occupied and distracted from the thoughts of drug use and possible relapse.

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Prepare Yourself for Possible Relapse

Finally, as much as you want to stay sober after addiction treatment, you should prepare yourself for the distinct possibility of a relapse. However, you need to always bear in mind that if you suffer a relapse, it does not mean you have failed. Rather, you should take it as a part of your recovery process. 

Although your best bet is to avoid addiction relapse altogether, it pays to be ready for it. Your plan should include who to contact and the steps to take to get help from an addiction treatment professional. 

What to Avoid During Addiction Treatment

Trying to stay sober after addiction treatment is never easy. However, there are a couple of things you can do to make it a smoother ride for yourself. To help you, we have compiled a list of things you should stay away from.

• Avoid being idle. Idleness gives your mind free rein to dwell on memories from your old days of addiction. You do not want that as it encourages a relapse.
• Avoid trigger situations. Trigger situations may include going to places in Vancouver where you’ve used drugs or hung out with drug users. Steer clear of such situations.
• As much as possible, avoid stress. A stressful lifestyle is never good for anyone, much less a person recovering from addiction. Try to relax as much as you can.
• Maintain a good diet. A good diet can help you reduce cravings and stay sober. It also helps you stay healthy.
• Finally, workout. A good workout is a perfect way to keep your mind off drug use while staying healthy at the same time. Therefore, build a good workout routine for yourself and stick to it.

Conclusion

It is not easy to stay sober after addiction treatment. It is going to require a lot of commitment and wise decisions on your part. Do you have further questions on how to stay sober and off drugs? Please reach out to us. Call Inspire Change Addiction Rehab in Vancouver for addiction treatment programs. Speak to any of our friendly representatives today!

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