There is no such thing as a “day off” in recovery and this is something that can be discouraging for the newcomer.
On the one hand, most people can grasp the “day at a time” philosophy. But on the other hand, it can be discouraging to think of never taking a drink or a drug again. It’s almost as if someone flicked on the “reality switch” when we got clean and sober, and now we are realizing that this change is permanent and irreversible. It can be a bit scary to think that we will never “get a break” from reality again.
Of course this is not really true, as we find new ways in recovery to “take a break” from reality.
The real breakthrough is that we also find that these new ways of “escaping” are far superior to our old habit of self medicating, because now that we are clean and sober our problems are so much fewer and more manageable.
So what are some ways that we can take this “day off” in recovery, without resorting to destructive self-medicating? Here are some ideas:
1) Treat yourself – I once treated myself to eating steak dinners every night for a month – as a reward to myself for quitting smoking. Guess what? It worked. I haven’t smoked since then and I have not developed heart disease yet either (knock on wood).
What’s amazing for the newcomer in recovery is that this idea of “treating yourself” seems ridiculous, because when we first get clean and sober we have no interest in such “treats.” Our only reward was getting high. But this slowly changes in recovery as we start to relearn how to enjoy the good things in life.
2) Plan a real vacation - sometimes you do just have to get away from it all. If that is the case then you need not do it with chemicals. Instead, plan a real vacation and take an actual trip somewhere.
3) Find your oasis – for me, has become the daily one hour jog. It doesn’t really matter where it happens or if I’m wearing headphones or anything else. Just getting active and putting in a good long jog has a tremendous impact on my overall balance in life. For me it has a calming, meditative effect. Others might try meditation, yoga, painting, or simply walking.
Notice that these are mostly holistic ideas in that they might not relate directly to our recovery, but they are certainly important as far as our daily serenity is concerned. This is why we need to go beyond traditional relapse prevention tactics, in order to fine tune our program and customize it to work for us. You might have to explore some new ideas in recovery in order to find your peace.
Just remember that you never get a “day off” and life will just keep coming at you whether you are ready for it or not. Best to find yourself some new coping mechanisms and a new way to unwind if you are going to be in recovery for the long haul.
Recommended Reading
- Overcoming Addiction
- 5 Ways to Supercharge Your Recovery, Avoid Relapse, and Dominate Your Addiction Over the Holiday Season
- 10 Ways to Embrace Creative Recovery and Take Your Sobriety to the Next Level
- Warning: Taking Massive Action in Drug Addiction Recovery Could Result in Creating an Awesome Life that You are Genuinely Grateful For
- Holistic Addiction Treatment Center
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