As you reach the early days of summer, you may contemplate ways to enjoy the season without jeopardizing your recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). While warm temperatures, outdoor activities, and social gatherings may tempt you to drink or use substances again, you can stay sober this summer with the proper mindset and strategies. Moving past this season with sobriety success can help to lead you down the path to success. Utilizing these tips and techniques, you can assist yourself in staying sober throughout the summer season at Destiny Recovery Center.
Plan for Staying Sober
Preparation is vital when it comes to staying sober during the summer season. Consider the activities and events you will attend this summer and the potential risks involved. If a specific gathering may pose challenges for you, decline its invitation or bring along someone sober such as a sponsor, for support if appropriate.
Utilize group therapy to find peers that will assist you in engaging in sober activities throughout the summer. Having a solid support network to rely on during this time of year can be incredibly beneficial to your ability to maintain sobriety during your recovery. It is often much easier to share struggles while connecting with fellow recovering individuals as well as receive advice and motivation from those who’ve gone through similar experiences themselves.
Focus on Self-Care
Prioritize self-care activities that will increase your levels of relaxation, stress relief, and positive self-image to stay sober this summer. Prioritize physical, emotional, and mental well-being through engaging in activities that assist in improving them all. Self-care practices are often overstressed but for a great reason. Ensuring you are caring for yourself will help set you up for success in various other areas this summer.
Mindfulness is a great self-care practice that can be utilized throughout your recovery journey. The practice of mindfulness can help keep you present in each moment while simultaneously being aware of thoughts and emotions without judgment or analysis. Mindfulness requires being present while simply watching how our mind functions without engaging with anything specific that occurs around us. This is a great way to give your mind a break from the stressors surrounding you.
Avoid Triggering Environments
Certain environments or situations can be particular triggers for you in recovery. These could include places you used to drink or use drugs regularly or events with heavy drinking/use of substances. Individuals in recovery must recognize these triggers so they can reduce or avoid them as much as possible. Analyse environments that may disrupt your sobriety and stay clear of those areas if you do not feel you have the proper skills to manage them.
It is important to understand if factors in your environment are triggers or tools. Music is a great example of this. While music may be a great assistance when coping with high emotions, certain songs may also bring back memories of your past that resonate with substance use. Environments, in general, can be the same way. Ensure you are well prepared to manage the factors within your environment and are placing yourself in an area that helps you in staying sober.
Allow Yourself to Say “No”
Learning the art of saying “no” can be difficult in recovery. However, there are many benefits involved with this communication. Saying “no” to situations, people, or substances that could jeopardize sobriety is essential to staying on track with your recovery. You may fear the social impact involved with saying no, but this may be the best choice for you.
Reminding yourself to prioritize sobriety can be challenging if you are used to saying yes to everything and conforming to social expectations. Acknowledging your authority over your decisions can help you stay ahead when making decisions and staying accountable for your sobriety.
Establish New Traditions
You may be struggling to go into the summer as you think about prior summer traditions you often engaged in. A great way to overcome this is to create new traditions that do not engage in the use of substances. You may choose to enjoy a summer barbeque, go on a hike, or do various other activities that do not require you to use substances.
Celebrate Your Progress
It is important to recognize and acknowledge the progress you have made throughout your recovery journey. Remind yourself why you are here and what successes you have had that have gotten you to this point. If a strong temptation to fall back into old habits arises during the summer, this celebration and recognition can be what you need to keep moving forward on the track to success.
Staying sober during the summer may seem difficult, but with the proper mindset and strategies to overcome your triggers, it can certainly be done. By utilizing the techniques outlined in this article effectively, you can set yourself up to maintain sobriety during the summer months at Destiny Recovery Center.
Summer is an exciting time for most people. Many people are looking forward to the sun shining and all the activities that summer brings. However, these same activities may also bring on triggers for those living with substance use disorder (SUD). Being aware of these triggers, and having strategies in place to handle these triggers, can allow someone to learn to love these activities again without struggling and pondering relapse. If you or someone you know is living with SUD and is ready to seek help, reach out to Destiny Recovery Center today at (909) 413-4304. Our compassionate staff is ready to assist and answer any questions you may have.