Recovery is a life-long journey that can be filled with many ups and downs. Unfortunately, many people wrongfully assume that seeking professional treatment alone will guarantee sobriety. However, this is not the case. This is why it’s crucial you daily prioritize your recovery journey so you can help avoid complacency and your risk of relapse. Keep reading to learn more about avoiding complacency in recovery below.
At Pathways Recovery, we are a leading drug rehab that helps recovering addicts progress along their road to recovery. Whether you are in need of an alcohol rehab, or struggling with cocaine or heroin addiction, we are here to help you safely break free from your addiction to lead a healthier, happier quality of life. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you progress along your recovery journey.
Why It’s Important to Be Cautious of Complacency
The road to recovery is filled with many ups and downs. From detoxing to learning healthy coping strategies to maintain your recovery journey, there are various challenges you must overcome and learn to support your long-term recovery journey. This is because your recovery journey doesn’t end once you detox. It’s essential you learn healthy coping strategies like prioritizing healthy lifestyle habits (ie. diet, exercise, and quality sleep), and ways to cope with stress (ie. practicing meditation or breathing exercises) so you can effectively maintain your recovery journey.
Failure to make the most out of your recovery journey can interfere with your ability to maintain life-long sobriety. Unfortunately, 40-60% of people in recovery who sought treatment for their drug addiction relapse. This highlights the importance of prioritizing and making the most of your time in recovery. This also means that you shouldn’t think your recovery journey is over once you receive professional treatment.
How to Avoid Complacency in Recovery
Complacency in recovery can look like a number of things. From not reaching out for help when you are struggling with old triggers or cravings, to wrongfully assuming that once you seek professional treatment you’ll maintain sobriety forever, each of these can increase your risk of jeopardizing your recovery journey. Below are ways in which you can reduce your risk of complacency and prioritize your recovery journey.
Understand That Recovery Is Life-Long
First, in order to avoid complacency in recovery, whether during your time in treatment or beyond, it is important to understand that recovery is life-long. In other words, just because you detox and receive professional treatment for your substance use disorder doesn’t guarantee that you’ll remain sober for life. Facing triggers and cravings once you get clean is an inevitable part of one’s recovery journey. Therefore, it’s critical you understand that your recovery journey doesn’t end after treatment.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Next, you should never be afraid to ask for help, wherever you may be in your recovery journey. Whether you are just starting the recovery process, or have been sober for years, it’s critical to understand that help is available as you’ll inevitably face triggers, cravings and urges along your recovery journey. And, being complacent and ignoring these triggers and cravings when they do occur only increases your risk of relapsing.
Attend a Support Group
Finally, support groups can offer an effective way to keep you accountable during recovery. Not only can you learn from and hear from others’ fight against addiction, but attending a support group on a consistent basis can provide a sense of accountability and encouragement in maintaining your sobriety long-term.
Help Is Available
Now you know more about avoiding complacency in recovery, and why it’s important to prioritize taking actionable steps toward maintaining long-term recovery. From not being afraid to ask for help to going to support groups and understanding that the road to recovery is life-long are all effective ways you can support your recovery journey and avoid complacency in recovery. If you or someone is struggling with a substance use disorder– help is available!
Our compassionate team of experienced addiction specialists and mental health professionals are here to help you every step of the way along your recovery journey. We offer a comprehensive range of addiction treatment options and programs so you receive the tailored support you need to effectively break free from the chains of addiction for good. Ready to start your recovery journey? Contact us today!