The question of how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment has many answers. We can liken the answer to a collection of pillars. These pillars are designed to hold up the house that is your sobriety from cocaine addiction.

Just like a house, recovery from cocaine addiction issues is not achieved in a day. It takes time, hardwork and a willing need to succeed. As a result, it is highly important that you take the time to construct a plan to protect this sobriety.

The mistake most people make after cocaine addiction treatment is believing that they will never suffer a relapse. This school of thought is far from the truth. In fact, up to 80% of people who are fully sober have suffered a relapse at one point or the other.

Addiction Healing Centre is fully committed to helping you achieve long-term sobriety. Therefore, our experts have pooled together a list of the most effective ways to maintain sobriety after cocaine addiction. Here are the important tips you need to know. 

Identify Those Personal Triggers

The first step to staying sober after cocaine addiction treatment is understanding your triggers. These triggers are people, situations and places that tend to elicit those cravings you have for cocaine. For instance, if you used to use cocaine at a friend’s house, that place is likely to be a trigger. 

Other common cocaine addiction triggers include:

• Stress 
• Emotional distress 
• Relationships and friendships 
• Problems at work

Hence, before you go back to normal life, create a plan for dealing with these triggers. Perhaps, you can come to an agreement with a sponsor. Or maybe you’ll take conscious decisions to avoid places and people that act as triggers. The point is, you need to have a plan to avoid triggers.

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Know The Warning Signs of a Relapse

If you’re wondering how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment, understand the concept of relapse. You see, relapse doesn’t happen in one day. It is the combination of different factors and situations. There are warning signs that can help you recognise an imminent relapse.

Some of the signs of a cocaine addiction relapse include:

• A return to addiction-related thoughts
• Behaving irresponsibly
• Situations where cocaine begins to look like the only solution
• Engaging in self-harming behaviours

Get A Support Network

Staying sober after cocaine addiction treatment is near impossible without help. As a result, you need a support system to help you stay grounded. For most people, this support system exists in the form of friends and family. 

However, if these relationships do not enhance your addiction treatment process, there are other options. You can consider ongoing counselling. Another option is to get a sponsor via an addiction treatment centre near you. This will be someone you can call in times of need. 

If your family and friends are reliable, you’re in luck. You can be accountable to them. Also, they can accompany you to must-attend events where the possibility of using is high. That’s how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment.

Be a Part of Support Groups

Support groups are very different from a support system. For starters, you have more contact with people who form your support system. Support groups are meetings that comprise people who are in cocaine addiction recovery.

In these meetings, people discuss their cravings. Furthemore, they also discuss the methods and techniques they use to manage them. Examples of support groups include NA and AA meetings.

Another option is to attend periodic counselling sessions at a cocaine addiction treatment centre near you. For example, here at Addiction Healing Centre, our counsellors are professionals. They will listen to you without judgement and only offer solutions. Support group meetings can be a great platform to meet other people commuted to cocaine addiction recovery.

Server Others Around You 

It may seem odd. But, serving others is one of the answers to how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment. The reason is that recovery and staying sober can take a toll on the mind. It is possible to get so engrossed in the process that you turn to cocaine to take the edge off.

However, when you volunteer your time to helping others, you get an outlet that takes your mind off things. Also, seeing the benefit of your effort in real-time can be very life-affirming.

Thankfully, there are many ways for residents in Vancouver to volunteer and give back to the community. You can volunteer at one of the many libraries and local youth centres around. You can even serve food at a local shelter.

If you’re feeling up to it, you can volunteer your time by helping those who are also going through cocaine addiction treatment. Doing this is one of the most effective ways to stay sober following cocaine rehab. It helps you see the bigger picture while empowering your sense of fulfillment. 

Find a Balance

To ensure you don’t suffer a cocaine addiction relapse, it is hugely important that you do not go back to old behaviour. In essence, you must find new ways to spend your time productively. 

This is what finding a balance is all about. Find a way to manage work, family and free time. Instead of going to the club on Friday nights, how about going to the gym? Instead of spending all your time working, find the time for family.

Create a structure you can follow at all times. When you have something to do at different times, it will be doubly harder to slip back into addiction. Activities like yoga and meditation are a part of how to stay sober following cocaine addiction treatment. These activities will help you maintain balance and self-control.

Keep Your Finances in Check

At the beginning of this article, we said that staying sober has many methods. Part of how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment is getting your money in Check. A high percentage of people who suffer a relapse do so due to money problems. 

To avoid this, take pre-emptive steps to keep your money in line. For instance, you can start by hiring somebody to manage your expenses. Your support system of family and friends can help you control your spending. Don’t replace cocaine addiction with money problems!

Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly

The benefits of exercise following cocaine addiction treatment are too many to count. Firstly, the endorphins released during exercise can help relieve stress and manage cravings better. Activities like yoga, pilates and aerobic routines are useful for helping you keep self-control and maintain internal balance. 

In the same vein, healthy nutrition is critical to the process of staying sober. If you’re hungry, you’ll get cranky. In situations of heightened emotions like this, it’s possible to have cravings for cocaine. Eat a healthy balanced diet that will fuel you throughout the entirety of your day. Here are the benefits of eating health after cocaine addiction treatment:

• Increased energy levels 
• Boosts your mood
• Less fatigue 
• Helps replenish systems affected due to long-term addiction

Conclusion

Learning how to stay sober after cocaine addiction treatment is a life-long process. However, with the tips for managing cocaine addiction recovery above, you have a path to follow.

Call Inspire Change Addiction Rehab in Vancouver for addiction treatment programs. Using cognitive based therapy, behavioural treatment methods and other holistic treatment, we can get your or your loved ones back to sobriety. Contact us today to get started.