Tips for Healthy Coping Skills in Recovery

Getting sober and staying sober are two completely different things. While completing a drug treatment program is a major milestone, your journey toward recovery is far from over. In order to protect your recovery, you must have safeguards in place. The implementation of coping skills in recovery is vital to your long-term success. When you understand the triggers that make you vulnerable, you can put into place coping skills in addiction recovery that will minimize those threats.

This blog focuses on the importance of coping skills in recovery. You will also receive valuable tips that are easy to follow and crucial to long-term recovery. If you are newly recovering and want to develop the coping skills needed to sustain your recovery, call Parkdale Center today. Our Indiana addiction treatment programs are evidence-based and designed for the working professional. Our individualized, holistic approach to treatment helps restore your mind, body, and soul.

Get on the road to long-term recovery with help from Parkdale Center.

Understanding Triggers

In a discussion of coping skills in recovery, you must first understand triggers. A trigger can be simply seen as a stimulus that creates a reaction. For individuals recovering from substance abuse, triggers are those things that bring forth cravings to use drugs and alcohol. These triggers can be external, which include things that remind you of your past drug use. Examples of external triggers include people, places, objects (i.e. drug paraphernalia), and even calls from debt collectors.

Triggers can also be internal and can include negative feelings and thoughts (especially of past traumatic events) and even positive thoughts, which may make you want to start using substances in order to celebrate.

While triggers are common in early recovery, they can be unsettling to experience. If these triggers are not dealt with in a healthy fashion, they may take up residence in your mind and dominate your daily thinking. Sooner or later, these thoughts can grow too powerful to resist, and you may turn back to substance use.

Important Coping Skills In Recovery You Must Have

Healthy coping skills for addiction are a necessity for your long-term health and well-being. In many ways, coping skills in recovery are your lifelines that keep your hard-earned sobriety intact. In many instances, you learn and practice these skills while in treatment. As you transition back into your normal life, these skills must be put into practice and fine-tuned when needed. The following are some essential coping skills you need in your recovery toolkit:

• Be honest with yourself: If you are feeling anxious or depressed, don’t bottle it up! Be open and honest with yourself and others about how you are feeling. When you are confronted with a trigger in your environment, accept the fact that it is there and move on. If needed, reach out to someone in your support network to talk things through.
• Journaling: Another great coping skill in recovery is daily journaling. Take time each day to write down what you are thankful for, no matter how trivial or small. Taking time to focus on the positive things in your daily life will make your recovery easier.
• Eat healthy and exercise: It is no secret that eating healthy and getting regular exercise will help you look and feel your best. These activities improve your mental and physical health, and you grow more confidence in the “new you.”
• Have a support system: It is important to have friends and family that support your decision to get sober. Join a 12-step or similar support group filled with people who are sharing a similar journey to yours. 
• Find ways to relax: Find time in your day to unwind, unplug, and recharge. Practice mindful breathing or another form of meditation or engage in yoga practice. You can also take a walk, hike in a forest, or listen to the sounds of nature.

Build Your Coping Skills The Right Way With Help From Parkdale Center

If you have recently completed drug treatment, it is important to protect your investment. Learning healthy coping skills goes a long way in not only preserving your sobriety, but also preserving your overall health. As a top drug rehab in Indiana, Parkdale Center offers proven programs and services that are firmly rooted in research. At our drug and alcohol rehab for professionals, we employ a dynamic and holistic approach that is personalized to meet your unique needs.

Take the extra step and grow your recovery with help from Parkdale Center. Call us today.