Addiction recovery can be a stressful, emotionally difficult process. When all of your focus is on addressing your addiction, it’s easy to let self-care fall by the wayside. If you are on the road to recovery from substance abuse, there are several self-care tips you can follow to relieve stressors and give yourself the best support possible during your healing journey.
First, choose a treatment center tailored to your specific needs
First, you need to select a way to detox in a very comfortable, safe, and caring environment, and that means choosing an accredited treatment center with treatment programs and options tailored to your specific needs. Going it alone is not a guarantee of failure, but getting into the right treatment center gives you a much better chance at success.
Here are some things to think about as you choose your treatment facility.
What goals do you have?
You need to know what you want to accomplish from your treatment to pick the most appropriate type of facility for you.
Is it accredited, licensed, certified, and multi-disciplined?
At least, your team should include:
- Dependency counselor
- Physician
- Nurse
- Psychiatrist
- Nutritionist
You may want a psychologist, wellness specialist, and special care counselor, as well, depending on your addiction and goals.
What is the success rate of the program?
You want a program that is almost always effective and within your budget.
What is the cost and does insurance cover it?
Work with the organization to navigate through the insurance options.
How do they detox?
Is it a medical detox or medication-assisted therapy? This distinction is important because of how it will affect you as you get better. It also will determine inpatient or outpatient options.
What post-recovery support do they provide?
Post recovery support is almost as important as your initial treatment because it can help you avoid temptation.
Once you have chosen a treatment center, setting up self-care can help you build the foundation needed to defeat your addiction.
Get on a schedule
A schedule helps you plan activities during periods of the day when you might be tempted to indulge your addiction. Scheduling your free time can also help you feel stable as you move into a new chapter of your life.
Sleep
It might not seem that important, but sleep, or lack of it, can exacerbate present cravings and impulses that lead to destructive behavior. Sleep also helps your body and mind heal and refresh.
Eat right
Addiction often leads to very unhealthy eating habits. These habits make it harder to recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. By establishing a nutritious diet early in your recovery, you are laying the foundation for the construction “up top” that will help you beat addiction for good.
Exercise
Sufficient exercise helps you feel better and increases your appetite for healthy foods. Healthy foods help you recover physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Participate in therapy
Learning new coping tools, talking through feelings and behavior, and even designing a comprehensive treatment plan are all positive experiences that can come out of therapy. Merely attending, though, will not help you succeed at your goals. You have to make an effort to engage and participate.
Actively avoid stress
Stress is a major influencer when it comes to substance abuse. The more you can avoid it, the better off you will be in your recovery process.
Final thoughts
Recovering from an addiction of any type is never easy. That means you must use all the tools at your disposal for the best chance possible. These self-care tips can give you the foundation you need to kick your addiction and achieve your goals.