Alcohol addiction represents one of the biggest social and health problems worldwide with over 76 million people having alcohol use disorders, such as alcohol dependency and excessive drinking. This means that alcohol abuse beats other substance abuses by a large margin if we take into consideration the amount of people affected by it.
Social Life and Substance Abuse
With alcohol being as common as it is and drinking it almost being a subculture on its own, it can be a difficult task for a person who has just finished rehab to stay away from the urge to return to their old habits. Sometimes they will find themselves in a situation where people who were their good friends up until then start to shun them or even worse tempt them to return to alcohol consumption. If you find yourself in such a situation, and there is no way to talk things out with those people it is best to cut ties with them as they will prove devastating to your efforts of staying sober.
What if my friends don’t support my alcohol rehab?
If your friends don’t support your alcohol addiction rehab, you should cut ties with them. You need to surround yourself with people who support your rehab, not those who are trying to sabotage it. Also, know your triggers so you can stay away from them. Avoiding stressful situations will also keep those triggering scenarios at bay. There are many ways to help an alcoholic – teach your friends how they can facilitate your recovery.
When you finally set things straight with yourself, you will find out who the people who support you are. The most important step to permanent recovery from alcohol dependency is getting close to those people. And this is the point in your life where you will be able to benefit your social life on two fronts at once. The first benefit being recovery from alcohol dependency and the second one being extending your social circle with people who can enrich your life in many different ways.
How can other people help me with my rehab?
Other people can help you with your rehab by providing support. Staying close to the people who supports you in your alcohol rehab is the most important step in recovering from alcohol abuse. By surrounding yourself with these people, you are making it highly possible for yourself to achieve your goal of living a healthy sober life.
How should I change my social life after rehab?
You should change your social life so that it is supportive of a sober lifestyle. You have to change your social circle if you are willing to succeed in your treatment. Surround yourself with people who support you and stop mingling with your old drinking buddies. There is a chance that they will only cause you to relapse.
Reimagine Your Lifestyle with Healthy Habits
- For example, you might run into people who are passionate about sports and start doing physical exercise yourself. This will not only get your mind off of your old habits but will help you get your physical and mental state in peak condition.
- Other times you might meet people who can teach you to play a certain instrument, helping you unlock a new appreciation for music you never knew you had in you.
- Eating healthy also represents one of the important things to look out for when fighting alcohol dependency. You could, for example, find somebody to teach you how to cook or even attend a cooking course. Not only will you learn to be self-sufficient and learn a healthy habit in the process, but you might also meet new and interesting people while dong so.
- Even if, at first, it seems that enjoying life without alcohol is impossible, you will soon find many people who do exactly that and with their help, you will learn about a whole range of activities to enrich your life. Find alternatives to alcohol to relax.
- Alcohol intoxication and aftereffects frequently prevent us from performing our daily duties. Not only do we not have time to enjoy ourselves, but the mandatory actions we have to go through during the day like work and housekeeping become hard or even impossible at times. As a result, people who suffer from alcohol dependency have trouble keeping a steady job or living a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. On the other hand, people who have successfully coped with their unhealthy habits will find that even ordinary day-to-day activities like walking to the store and greeting neighbors on the way will bring them satisfaction.
Whichever path you decide to take one thing is certain; you will have more time to dedicate to yourself and your self-improvement.
Staying on Course and Avoiding Negative Influences
As important as it is to build up healthy and beneficial habits after your initial release from a rehab center, it is equally as important to stay clear of bad influences.
- If your current social circle does not support your rehabilitation efforts and even goes as far as trying to sabotage it, cutting all ties with them will prove to be the most healthy and reasonable course of action. Make some new acquaintances at alcoholic recovery groups meetings.
- There is nobody out there who knows you and the way you react to things better than yourself. Learn what triggered you to start drinking in the past and stay away from such situations. Read some motivational books about alcohol abuse and recovery.
- One of the most common causes of alcohol abuse is elevated stress level. While stressful situations may not be a direct cause, they tend to weaken and tire out your mind, which makes it more susceptible to triggering scenarios.
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