10 Self Care Tips to Spark Your Recovery

The future contains so many hidden mysteries. Hopefully looking into your crystal ball like a good psychic on a 900 line who will provide a future full happiness, joy, and recovery. Most of us enter sobriety after putting ourselves through a beating that comes only from ingesting a slew of substances. This takes us down a path of powerlessness and unmanageability where eventually life or death must be chosen.

Ultimately, those of us that are lucky, straggle into the “rooms” to learn of the 12 steps and self-care in an introspective capacity- without drugs and alcohol. This is usually where the record player skips a beat and most of us become unsure of this frightening idea. Upon getting clean, we start turning our lives in all the areas we never would’ve imagined. Life becomes euphoric and we vow to never look back at that past life again- or so we encourage ourselves.

Unfortunately for many addicts and alcoholics, we get clean and have all these promises yet to come true, but there’s maintenance of self-care to be had that is much different than the using days that only required eating and sleeping occasionally. Our new founding of recovery necessitates putting in work to keep the promises being delivered.

Supervising Your Sobriety

Life provides a whole new pitch once the substances are eliminated from the picture. Looking out for our own best interests becomes a piece of cake with a little bit of self-care and willingness to change. Drugs and alcohol will prevent us from being able to accomplish even the simplest of things to achieve happiness. Some self-care recommendations even come naturally once all the chemicals are taken out of the picture.

Some of these ever so simple practices can include:

• Eating on a Regular Basis

• Maintaining Hale and Hearty Sleep Patterns

• Daily Exercise

• Prayer and Meditation

• Selfless Practices

• Attending 12-Step Meetings

• Daily Communication with a Sponsor

• Daily 12-Step Work

• Focus on Positive Relationships

• Center on Overall Health Routine

The reality of the matter is that when it comes to addiction and alcoholism- they are diseases that do not go away when we click our heels together like Dorothy. You can’t think yourself sober for the same reasons you can’t think away your cancer. It’s an involuntary obsession that consumes the mind like a hurricane devours the naturally blue sky. Little self-care practices are the only way to make it out this darkness alive.

Get Smart

Recovery becomes the top priority in our lives once we accept our alcoholic thinking for what it is. Entering recovery teaches us to latch onto specific self-care tips naturally. On the other hand, these self-care recommendations aren’t just for addicts- but they may benefit from them the most. In all actuality, if the world practiced the 12-steps and the definition that recovery encompasses, we’d live on a much happier and united planet.

For substance abusers, our very specific and obsessive way of thinking is our best friend and our own worst enemy. Without the practice of the 12 steps and a solution at hand, addicts and alcoholics would maybe be doomed to the chemical torture that we sadly become so accustomed to. Yet at the same time, recovery sucks in and churns out some of the most responsible and promising individuals in society as we know it. Sobriety delivers our sanity back to us once we take some action and look for change.

Self-Care vs. Self-Sabotage

It is through practicing the 12 steps and entering some form of a fellowship that we become people again and refrain from being the shells of humans we once were. The rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and various treatment therapies teach us that we are not destined to misery if we want to put in a little introspection and selflessness into this journey. Just a little bit of simple self-care shows a plethora of once hopeless individuals of a new life without substances to handicap them from productivity.

Contingent upon taking care of ourselves- the possibilities recovery can spawn are endless. You can think up the idea of sobriety, but to achieve it action and self-care tips must be taken while old patterns are simultaneously broken. Once the substances are photo-shopped out of the picture, the resolution is so much clearer. However, even with these practices of self-care, everything evolves to the practice of being honest, open-minded, and willing in our ways as the self-care becomes immanent in nature.

As we slowly implement this new way of life, the changes being brought forth become apparent. The only catch is that we can’t just wake up one day and decide to become sober. Sobriety requires a daily look in the mirror as we indulge in this new era. How far are you willing to go for a new way of life? Taking the few extra seconds to look at your motives or drive behind something can make a world of difference in the end.

Don’t Overthink

The truth of the matter is that we all have our ups and downs- this is part of the human experience. For some of us though, we have no idea how to deal with the downs brought on by alcoholism. It just takes this firm grasp of our life and starts controlling all aspects no matter how much willpower we exert. That’s the thing though- we can’t beat addiction/alcoholism on our own. Trust that it takes love. Trust that it takes support. Trust that it takes help. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification.

Safe Haven Recovery is a boutique Florida Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center located in Miami, FL. We specialize in Suboxone Maintenance & Detox, along with, Couples Addiction Treatment. Call us today at 866-447-4650.

About the Author

Matthew Koenig is a freelance writer and principal of Last Call Marketing which devotes their efforts to Digital Marketing, SEO and Social Engagement. Concentrated in addiction recovery, Mr. Koenig is based out of South Florida. His sober date is June 10, 2013.

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