Women are extremely resilient. After a long road of recovery, learning how to maintain long-term sobriety can become a struggle. As emotional beings, women often worry more about their risks which can actually make them more susceptible to making them a second time. With the right mindset and the guidance and support of the people in their support group, women can achieve and maintain long-term sobriety for the rest of their lives. Once you have reached a state of long-term sobriety, it takes constant dedication and a willingness to establish positive lifestyle changes that support your new journey.
Positive Lifestyle Changes
Establishing positive lifestyle changes takes time. Improving your diet, exercising more, and creating a drug-free environment is a must. Minimizing your exposure to the people and places that you associated with during your addiction is a must. It can be difficult to distance yourself from these people, especially if they are family members. Moving away from your triggers can also offer benefits. Start a new job and create a new life for yourself.
When it comes to diet and exercise, changes can be made gradually. Removing junk foods and replacing them with healthier choices must be a priority. The same is true for exercise. Start slowly and take your time increasing your level of activity. When you establish new habits and lifestyle patterns, you need to make your changes in such a way that you welcome them. Positive habits become second nature and are easier to maintain on a long-term basis.
Strong Commitment to Self
Women sometimes second guess themselves due to the opinions and perceptions of others. If you are a woman, especially in the business world, you need to avoid falling into the trap of listening to others. Jealousy and insecurity can cause others to start rumors and gossip to discredit you. In order to maintain long-term sobriety, you need to have faith in yourself. Being strongly committed to your own, personal well-being is essential if you want to regain your self-worth and continue to move forward with both your recovery and your recovery. When you make yourself a priority, you give yourself the power to take control of your life and maintain both your sobriety and your career.
An Established and Connected Support System
In order to maintain long-term sobriety, women need an established and well-connected support system in both their personal lives as well as their careers. It’s important that you only include people you know you can trust. You need individuals you can count on to listen to your problems and help you find solutions that fit into your life. Your support system needs to include the people who know you best and are willing to be there with you when you go through rough periods. It’s also a good idea to include your counselor and other medical professionals in this group as well.
Long-Term Counseling
Just because you leave the rehab center, it doesn’t mean that you won’t continue to benefit from long-term counseling. Women who work in highly stressful positions are often overwhelmed with the frustrations and obligations associated with their work. Add issues with their family and friends into the mix and you end up with too many thoughts and not enough viable solutions. Taking the time to meet with your counselor will give you the insight and encouragement you need to keep moving forward. Having the right counselors to talk to will help you to maintain your focus as well as your sobriety.
Mentor Others
One of the best ways to maintain your sobriety is to mentor others. Others who are dealing with addiction would much rather talk to someone who has the same experiences and have dealt with the same issues. When you speak from experience, you can truly empathize with what the person is going through. Women who are in recovery will often seek out others who have had the same types of experiences and have been able to remain drug and alcohol-free for several years. By working hand in hand with others who have been able to maintain their sobriety, not only provides hope but also allows them to see how positive lifestyle changes and a clean environment will support their ultimate goals.
Maintain Your Connections to Your Drug and Rehab Center
One of the best ways to ensure long-term sobriety is to allow patients to maintain a connection to the rehab center. Whether this is through mentoring other patients, visiting the counselors, or simply to find new resources and tools they can use for themselves, maintaining contact with the rehab center gives them a link to where they first began their journey. Over time, the need to connect may lessen, but the knowledge that the connection is still there can be quite reassuring for women who are still trying to maintain their sobriety.
Stay Positive and Stay Focused
No matter what stage of recovery you are in, you must always stay positive and focused on your goals. Maintaining long-term sobriety is full of obstacles and challenges. Staying positive can be hard at times. Each woman who is dealing with addiction or alcoholism must learn what works best for them. For some, it may be meditation and yoga. Others may do better with exercise and long-term counseling. Stay focused on the things that bring you joy and your recovery will move forward more smoothly. Women who are constantly working to better themselves in their career and personal lives must learn to continually put themselves as a priority and stay focused on their goals.
At the Ho Tai Way Recovery for Women, women can learn how to reach their recovery goals as well as maintain long-term sobriety for many years to come. By learning how to handle the obstacles and challenges that sometimes can overwhelm a woman who is walking the path to recovery, they can push forward through the roughest of times and still stay committed to remaining sober and healthy. Be mindful of your goals and stay focused on your journey. The best is yet to come!
