STAY AWAY, I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS!
CERTAIN PEOPLE TO AVOID IN RECOVERY
1. The Instigator
Remember the little brother or sister whose primary function was to annoy you? They called you names, jabbed you in the ribs for no apparent reason and laughed maniacally as you chased them about in a homicidal rage. Yeah, you know the type. The instigator. These people find sheer delight in getting a reaction out of others. They laugh when you are mad and many times, it seems they just don’t know when to stop. If you come across an instigator, do your best to keep your distance. Don’t let them take jabs at your sobriety.
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RECOVERY AND STRESS
AND I THOUGHT ADDICTION WAS STRESSFUL
Family and relationship conflicts are among the chief causes of stress for all people, along with financial problems, job concerns, health troubles and other issues. These are especially pronounced for those of us recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Stressors like these are extremely dangerous for those of us trying to stay clean and sober. Studies indicate that stress is the number one cause of relapse among drug and alcohol abusers. Staying sober can be very stressful. Being the loved one of someone in addiction or recovering from addiction can also be very stress inducing. For the newly sober, in particular, the more the stress, the more the desire for escape, oftentimes back to drugs and alcohol.
If we can reduce our stress, we can reduce our chances of relapse. To do so, we have to know the signs of stress: headaches, muscle tension, dry mouth, upset stomach, loss of appetite, too much appetite, sleep problems, fatigue, getting colds, can’t concentrate, memory problems, jitters, irritability, short temper, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, chest pains.
Stress is inevitable. But there are things we can do to defuse these daily stressors before they can get the best of us. The most effective stress management often comes from making healthy lifestyle changes.
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CHECK IN TO SOBRIETY
WITH NO RESERVATIONS
We’ve said it a thousand times and we’ll say it a thousand more. Getting sober is hard. Staying that way is harder. There are many ways to quit drinking and using. Suck it up. Go to detox. Try to tapir. Check in to rehab. However you do it, you did it. But putting down that bottle or pipe or whatever is just the beginning. Before you jump into sobriety, there are a few things to consider. What kind of sobriety do you want and just how committed to it are you willing to be?
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I SO DON’T MISS THAT
THINGS SOBRIETY HAS LEFT BEHIND
THE HANGOVER
Remember those? We may remember those horrible mornings, but it’s pretty likely we didn’t remember the horrible nights before, right? It used to be kind of funny, in a way, wandering around in that fog with that headache and that inability to function fully. It was kind of fun to head right back out there for a Bloody Mary or whatever with that ridiculous excuse that a morning drink would solve the hangover problem. Funny until we started showing up at work with a hangover everyday or not showing at all, while watching our job security slipping away. Funny until we realized that that morning hangover drink was becoming two or three, and starting to last into the day and onto the night and repeating every morning with that funny hangover that slowly became not so funny anymore. The retching, the runny nose, the bloodshot eyes, the shakes, the loss of appetite, the sheer wreck of it all. Not so funny anymore. But, now blessed with recovery, we’ve left behind those hangovers and mornings have become a beautiful thing again. Leave them behind, but don’t ever forget the damage they used to do.
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LOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL
PART THREE
Dealing with a loved one in addiction or, hopefully, in recovery, can be exhausting, nerve-wracking, frightening, and potentially destructive to any relationship. Emotions can fly at us from all directions and with little notice. They can be very unhealthy, particularly for those trying desperately to provide support for a struggling friend, family member or lover. Keeping emotions in check is hard work, but also necessary for all involved. There are three emotions in particular that can run a relationship off the recovery rails if not tended to with care. Last week; grief. This week; guilt.
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LOVE AND ADDICTION CAN BE EMOTIONAL
PART TWO
Dealing with a loved one in addiction or, hopefully, in recovery, can be exhausting, nerve-wracking, frightening, and potentially destructive to any relationship. Emotions can fly at us from all directions and with little notice. They can be very unhealthy, particularly for those trying desperately to provide support for a struggling friend, family member or lover. Keeping emotions in check is hard work, but also necessary for all involved. There are three emotions in particular that can run a relationship off the recovery rails if not tended to with care. Last week, anger, this week: grief
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