Kicking the habit is only the first step. Even after you’ve rid yourself of drugs, you’ll need to have a certain level of commitment to a healthy lifestyle if you want to embrace everything good about your recovery.
But how can you achieve this? What do you need to do to live a better, healthier life?
Here are just a few tips for pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. These can be used separately or together with treatment from one of your city’s opiate rehab centers; the most important thing is that you’re aware of them. You can’t start your journey on the right path until you know where the path is leading you!
1. Drink More Water
It’s actually a myth that you need eight glasses per day, but you should probably be drinking more water than you do. Hydration is essential for everything from cell growth to cardiovascular function, so it isn’t an area to cut corners. Dehydration can also strike when you least expect it; it doesn’t take much to slow down your brain and impair your decision-making. In addition, keeping a water bottle nearby can help you with drug and alcohol cravings. Instead of reaching for something illicit, you can drink some cool, refreshing H2O until the urge passes.
2. Do Your Homework
What is opiate addiction? How long does a heroin detox usually last? What are the most common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal? While it can be a bit scary to look these things up, it’s always better to know what’s headed your way. Forewarned is forearmed, especially when it comes to things that might make you panic or despair in the moment. If you already know that migraines are common when you’re coming off meth, you won’t be alarmed when they happen to you, and you’ll be better-prepared to cope with them until they pass.
3. Refine Your Diet
This is easier said than done, of course, but if you can start eating healthier, you’ll notice a definite change in the way that you look and feel. You don’t have to throw away all of your junk food and start living off carrots. You can take baby steps. Start incorporating more fresh vegetables into your meal plans; start limiting the amount of sugar that you can have every week; and start experimenting with different dishes in the kitchen. You might even get a new hobby out of eating better!
4. Keep Yourself Busy
Speaking of hobbies, you might want to pick up a few as you work on your sobriety. It’s common for addicts to relapse when they’re bored, stressed or idle, so if you can keep your calendar full, you’ll be less likely to have dull periods in your life when drugs seem like a good idea. Again, it’s okay to take baby steps here; you don’t have to transform into a social butterfly overnight. Just give yourself something to do on the weekends so that you don’t slide back into bad habits.
5. Hit the Sack
Rest is vitally important for recovering addicts. If you’re sleep deprived, you’ll feel cravings more intensely than you usually do, and you’ll lack the cognitive ability to make good decisions about current temptations and future consequences. Try to get yourself in the habit of going to bed early. Establish a “sleep routine” where you always do the same things as part of your nightly bedtime ritual. You’ll train yourself to get sleepy as you perform these specific tasks, and you’ll rest more deeply when you actually drift off.
6. Reach Out to Others
The best help will come from trained professionals, but if you can’t afford to check yourself into rehab, there are still ways that you can reach out. For example, support groups are nearly always free to anyone that can find them. You might also look and see if your school or workplace offers any addiction counseling services. There are even low-cost therapists and life coaches out there who specialize in addiction issues. Don’t be afraid to poke around the Internet and figure out your options. You might have more than you think!
These are just a few tips for getting healthy and kicking the habit. As you can see, they range from simple, everyday changes to big shifts in the way that you view yourself and the world. However, all of them are important if you want to make the most out of your recovery!
