Prolonged addiction can change you as a person. Perhaps your past addictive behaviors destroyed relationships with loved ones, distracted you from your hobbies, and hampered your performance in the workplace. Once treatment is completed and you transition into long-term recovery, reclaiming yourself may seem quite challenging. Becoming who you truly are can be a stressful process. The challenge inherent in self-reflection can even make it more difficult to maintain abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Thus, it is helpful to work on emotion regulation after completing treatment to prevent relapse. Practicing self-help strategies and using aftercare services can help you succeed in finding your identity during recovery.
Maintaining Abstinence While Finding Your Identity in Recovery
Making serious changes at the start of your recovery may promote a healthy lifestyle. However, those efforts can quickly backfire if you do not replace what you sacrificed with something better. For example, maybe you took the first step to end relationships with friends who continue to abuse harmful substances. Perhaps you moved to a more rural area away from city life to avoid the bar and club scene. Maybe you quit your old job hoping to find a professional career that provides a healthy work environment.
These changes can be positive signposts in your journey to long-term sobriety. Nevertheless, changing your life can be a lonely process. That’s why it is important to put effort into building healthy connections with sober individuals throughout both recovery. New and healthy connections can help you redefine yourself and contribute to a stronger sense of self-worth.
You may feel as if addiction stole you from yourself. Working on gaining a more stable, authentic identity can help you have a more fulfilling life. Social support can also give you a sense of hope, strength, and encouragement to maintain abstinence while finding your identity in recovery.
Establishing Emotion Regulation During the Process of Finding Your Identity in Recovery
If your mental health is left unmanaged, both early and late recovery may include feelings of frustration and stress. The busy phase of early recovery can feel overwhelming. In later recovery, if you fail to establish a structured routine, you may feel distress, which can worsen your mental health. For instance, you can find yourself with worsening depression, anxiety, and various mood disorders linked with addiction. Those states of mind can make it difficult to ward off cravings for substances.
However, when you have found a way to have good emotional regulation, you’ll be less likely to relapse. You’ll also have an easier time finding your identity in recovery. Research published in The British Journal of Clinical Psychology indicates that those who have a history of mental illness have reported worsened emotion regulation and greater loneliness than those who do not.
Developing a strong support system while in recovery again can help you branch out to find your true identity. Spending time with the wrong group of individuals may cause you to engage in past poor habits. Aside from working to maintain an organized lifestyle, many strategies can help you maintain mental stability while in recovery, including:
- Engaging in mindfulness and meditation
- Logging your progress and listing new symptoms
- Learning to identify uncomfortable triggers
- Slowing down before responding to difficult emotions
- Continuing to use the coping skills learned during past treatment
- Accepting support from loved ones
Self-Help Strategies to Successfully Find Your Identity Without Substance Use
Self-care is a critical element in any stage of recovery. The busy phase of early recovery may feel overwhelming but it is important to take a much-needed break and remember to incorporate self-care practices into your routine. When life begins to slow down in late recovery, life may seem boring. The stages of relapse may knock on your door. These include emotional, mental, and finally physical relapse. Staying busy can reduce cravings and help you find your identity without misusing harmful substances. Different sober activities that can assist you in finding your identity in recovery include:
- Starting a new DIY project that uses your skills and talents
- Trying arts and crafts projects to help you enjoy yourself
- Walking a pet in the neighborhood, which promotes relaxation and self-reflection
- Joining a sports league, which can improve your physical health
- Gardening, which can provide peace and encourage mindfulness
- Journaling your strengths, which can help you evaluate your skills and gain confidence
Exploring Aftercare Options at Avalon Malibu to Increase Confidence
It is common for people to relapse within the first year after completing treatment. When treatment has been completed, aftercare planning can help you safely cope while finding your identity in recovery. Knowing recovery can come with many challenges, it can be helpful to have a handful of unique treatment options available to assist you in your journey to achieving lasting sobriety.
Avalon Malibu offers a complete continuum of care. The services offered at Avalon Malibu can provide the support you need to maintain sobriety. Services that assist in building the confidence necessary for finding your identity include:
- Alumni support groups
- Outpatient group therapy
- 12-Step support groups
- Non-12-Step support groups
- Seasonal aqua activities
- Relapse prevention plans
- Seasonal ropes courses
- Outpatient one-on-one psychotherapy
At Avalon Malibu, our specialists recognize that relapse is actually a symptom of addiction. That’s why relapse prevention is included in our aftercare planning. We understand that in order to ensure ongoing recovery, it is crucial that you continue to have a support network, long-term guidance, and addiction education after rehab. The primary goal of aftercare planning is to prevent relapse by providing continuous counseling and ongoing support that sets you up for long-term success. Our treatment relies heavily on a complete continuum of care as a crucial aspect of recovery and starts as soon as you are finished with rehab. Call Avalon Malibu at (844) 857-5992 to gain the confidence needed to find your identity in recovery.
