How To Have Fun In Sobriety

Addiction has a tendency to infiltrate one’s life. If you’re going through addiction recovery, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of your activities in the past have revolved around drug and/or alcohol use. Now that you’re sober, it’s time to change your habits and learn to have fun and enjoy life without substance abuse. Fortunately, there are plenty of activities you can enjoy that are healthy and drug and alcohol-free.

Importance of Changing Your Habits

A common side effect of addiction is developing bad habits. These habits are often encouraged by the people around you who are also addicted to drugs or alcohol. Changing your old habits is a fundamental component to getting and staying sober. When you ditch the people who used to do drugs with you and shake loose of your bad habits, you can start focusing on how to have fun in sobriety. 

Reevaluate Your Friendships

Consider the people you’ve been hanging out with. Are they people you would buy drugs from? Are they people who would try to outdrink you? Are they still calling you now that you’re sober? Most people who use drugs or alcohol surround themselves with like-minded individuals. Now that you’re sober you’ll probably want to think twice before hanging out with your old friends.

Support from others makes a world of difference in sobriety. If you have people in your life who you don’t think will support your decision to pursue recovery, you have every right to reevaluate the relationship and ultimately, end it. 

Design Your Schedule to Avoid Temptation

In the early days of going sober, it’s important to create a schedule. If you’re busy, you’re less likely to think about drugs or alcohol. Routine will also give you a sense of purpose. By establishing a daily schedule, you will also help remove chaos from your life. Knowing what’s ahead of you for the day will give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning and something to look forward to. 

Brainstorm Healthy New Activities 

Look at the activities you’ve been taking part in regularly up until now. You might have many activities on your schedule – like after-work happy hours. Social situations like this can be triggering, especially in early sobriety. It’s totally OK to sit out of the company happy hour. Risking your sobriety isn’t worth getting 10 minutes of facetime in with the boss. 

Ideas for Sober Fun

There are so many possibilities for having fun without drugs or alcohol. Going sober doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun anymore. Below are four different ideas for having fun: 

Exercise 

Exercising is one of the best things you can start doing in recovery. Exercising helps you to relieve stress in a healthy way. Find an option for exercising that you enjoy. You don’t necessarily have to run on a treadmill or lift weights, you can take a weekly yoga class with a friend.

You can also consider playing a sport you used to play. Join a local sports league like a soccer or tennis club to make your healthy exercise activities social.

Volunteer

Another great idea is to volunteer in your community. This will allow you to meet new people with similar interests. Animal shelters, local gardens, and hospitals are just a few examples of places that always need volunteers. You’ll have fun and also get to help people or animals. 

Take up a Creative Hobby

If you’re interested in the arts, you can get creative with a new activity like writing or drawing classes. Taking lessons in art or creative writing can provide you with an outlet to express yourself. This can help relieve stress and provide you with a healthy and productive way to overcome problems in your life.

Read

Reading is an easy way to pass the time when you are readjusting your schedule to sober living. Head to your local library and browse the shelves. You’re likely to find some great reading ideas that will keep you occupied while expanding your knowledge. The best part about the library: it’s more cost-effective than purchasing books on Amazon. 

We Can Help You! 

Are you ready to overcome addiction and live a happy, sober life? Lake Arrowhead Recovery Center is here to help. We’re a free resource for anyone struggling with addiction. Our staff is available 24/7 and can help you find the right addiction treatment for you. Reach out to us today to get your life back from addiction. 

Dangers of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

What are benzodiazepines, and how widespread is the problem?

Benzodiazepines (aka “benzos”) are among the most widely prescribed and the most widely misused medications in the United States. Routinely prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety and insomnia, pharmaceutical drugs like Xanax, Niravam, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan and other drugs and their generic forms are increasingly popular.

 

Addiction to and rehabilitation from benzos are on the rise. Research indicates that 1 in every 8 Americans used a benzodiazepine in 2018, and benzos alone accounted for nearly ⅕ of all prescription drug intake last year. 

 

A large number of people today suffer from addiction to benzos and are pursuing rehab and recovery from their addiction. Without meaning to, individuals taking benzodiazepines as prescribed often slip into patterns of misuse that quickly become addictive and dangerous. Those engaged in recreational use and misuse of these drugs report taking more of the drug in order to decrease levels of physical and mental stress as well as to sleep. Over time, this leads to addiction: chemical dependency on benzodiazepines, which can require medical intervention in order to safely stop or reduce usage. 

 

What are the symptoms of benzos withdrawal?

If you are over-using or addicted to drugs like Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan or other benzos, there is little certainty as to what your withdrawal symptoms will be. Each case is different. Complications from withdrawal are unpredictable and can be deadly. That is why rehab can be a lifesaving resource for addicts in recovery.

Several (although certainly not all) of the possible symptoms of withdrawal from benzos are listed as follows:

  • Headaches
  • Sweating
  • Muscle tremors
  • Dizziness and light-headedness
  • Shooting paint in the neck, spine, and other nerves
  • Impaired vision
  • Fainting
  • Delirium and hallucinations
  • Grand mal seizures
  • Diarrhoea
  • Irritability, anxiety, panic and depression
  • Death

 

Can I quit benzos on my own?

If you are addicted to benzos or taking these drugs in amounts greater than prescribed or without a prescription, it is very important that you consult with a medical professional before stopping. Withdrawal from benzos is dangerous and can be deadly for addicts trying to quit on their own or without medical rehab.

There is no specific timeline for when withdrawal symptoms begin and end for benzos. You may start experiencing symptoms within 24 hours of discontinuing the drug, and symptoms may last for months

Your timeframe for withdrawal, rehabilitation and recovery from benzos depends on several factors: 

  • How long have you been taking benzos?
  • How much do you take at one time?
  • When type(s) of benzos are you taking?
  • How are you administering your benzos (i.e. swallowing, snorting, etc.)?
  • Do you have pre-existing medical or mental health issues?
  • Are you using other drugs or alcohol concurrently with benzos?

If you suffer from benzos addiction, it is incredibly important that you seek help from a recovery facility, rehab, or medical professional today. During rehabilitation, withdrawal symptoms and their associated risks vary greatly depending on the case. 

To discuss life-saving treatment options or to ask questions about your situation, please contact us today and begin your journey toward rehabilitation. We will be happy to hear from you.

How My Addiction Story Helped Me

Your Addiction Story has a Purpose

Your story, your addiction and your recovery can be purposeful. Tell it and let it be what it is. What you’ve been through happened for a reason.

Imagine all the pain that you’ve been through. All the heartache. All the times you hit rock bottom. All the times you picked yourself back up just to fall down again. The times when you thought, “This is going to be the last time”, then you picked the needle, the pipe, the bottle back up. Think about the people you once thought were friends and how they just didn’t understand why you were on drugs. Maybe you had family who stopped talking to you because of the things you were doing. Picture the nights you spent in the streets. The nights you didn’t care if you lived or if this would be your last hit – you just wanted to feel that high again. All the times you’ve cried, all the times you’ve wished you were dead, all the times you wanted to change, but for some reason you just couldn’t. The times you felt like the pain would never end. Or maybe the look in your mom’s eyes when you tell her you relapsed again, or the sound of your sister’s voice through the jail phone. The beep saying that you’re almost out of time then empty silence on the other end when the call ends. You lost your job, your house, your car, your kids, your freedom. You lost everything.

Now think about your recovery. Think about what it took to climb up from that dark, misty trench of drug and alcohol detoxification and reach for the little sliver of light that seemed so far away. All the work you put in. All the times you wanted to give up. All the times you didn’t give up. Think about the new friends you’ve made, the connections you’ve rekindled. Maybe some things didn’t come back. You probably still cry sometimes and you probably still imagine the hit, the high, the buzz.

Picture Where You Have Been and Where You Are Now.

The isolation I experienced in my addiction ended some relationships, but brought new life to others.

I don’t do well with change, but then again, who does? I learned really fast that I had to start changing myself if I wanted things to be different. All I knew anymore was how to numb the pain by whatever means possible, but what I knew more than anything was how desperately that had to change. I had to learn to feel things that I didn’t want to feel. I began to learn how to cope with the vast spectrum of emotions that had always led me to using and I began to replace using with talking and other coping techniques to deal with any issues as they arose. I learned how to be okay with my past and most importantly, I learned that I am deserving of a future. I learned how to sit with myself in the most uncomfortable of times and be okay with it. As uncomfortable as it was at first and above all healing techniques, I learned how to share my addiction story, and what recovery is for me.

Every time I share my experiences of my life on drugs, I come more and more out of the darkness of addiction into the light of recovery and hope.

There are so many people who are like me and have been through the same things I’ve been through. They’re in that darkness, and they want to be out in the light. I can help them and through helping them I help myself. There’s a strength that comes from being vulnerable. It gives others hope and it reminds me of my purpose. When I share my story it helps others feel like they can share their story, too. It connects us in a way that shows me that I did the right thing by getting clean. My scars became my story. I started growing from the experiences I had and I started teaching others how to do the same.

Recovery Can Be Hard

But its even harder if you don’t have people who understand what you’re going through. I can be that person for someone else. I can cry with them and laugh and tell them I understand how hard it is to want to give up but not want to start over again. Somehow, I remember everything – the detox program, the treatment, the work I put in to live a drug-free life again, and the steps that led up to the worst days of my past – before I ever got to this life. I know what it’s like to feel alone and in pain. I’ve lost everything, I’ve been in their shoes.

Now this is not saying that it wasn’t difficult to start sharing my story. I was ashamed of the things I had done and the place I had put myself in. I started sharing in a place I knew would be safe, a place with other people who had shared their story with me. From there I started sharing with other people who I knew had been in the same place and were in the recovery process. Then I began sharing with people who were just thinking about recovery. The hardest people to share with were the people I loved who had not been in the same place as me. It was difficult to acknowledge the pain that I had put them through in the depth of what ultimately led to my heroin addiction. But telling them my story brought me closer to them. There were people who still didn’t understand, but in my mind that just means they weren’t ready yet.

Recovery is like a blank canvas to paint, to write on – your story is waiting to be told and heard.

Staying Sober Is Hard, Find Your Sober Motivation

Addiction has changed you, but recovery will change you. Find out who you truly are. You are capable of reaching your full potential in recovery. Recovery is a lifelong process and living a sober life is the ultimate commitment. There is more to recovery than simply being abstinent from drugs. You must have the resources, tools, support, coping skills, professional treatment, and the proper mindset. After all, initially getting sober is the easy part, staying sober is hard. Much harder than you may think. The most important factor in achieving complete sobriety is the motivation behind it all. Why do you want to be sober? The answer might seem obvious but, you really need to want it. Every part of your being has to be committed to changing your lifestyle. You need to have the motivation to get sober and to stay sober. If someone is to ask what motivated you to make this change, what would you say? Do you know what your answer would be? What is your sober motivation?

Find Your Sober Motivation

What is sober motivation? Motivation is the driving force that turns your thoughts into action. Think about what inspires you to live a sober life. What factors in your life have driven you to make this decision?

Think about that moment of clarity when you know that you are ready to stop using. Now is the time for you to make the change from addiction to recovery. Whether your life is just beginning to fall apart or you have hit rock bottom, it has become clear that you are now ready.

You have made the official decision to say goodbye to the drugs, to your addiction, and you want help. No more chaos, no more pain, and no more unhappiness. Furthermore, you want to live a sober lifestyle, to be clean and to start over. You are now ready to start fresh in a new life of sobriety.

But why? What is the motivation behind this life altering decision?

Sobriety is Selfish

While in treatment, you will hear time and time again that you have to want it. You have to get clean because you want to. You can not get clean for somebody else. Do it because you want it. Let me tell you, staying sober is hard for anyone and if you are not all in, then it’s not going to work. Plain and simple. Every part of you has to want it and be ready and willing to change – mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Although, you are not your motivation. Your motivation for wanting to get sober and stay sober can come from a number of things. You need something that motivates you to change your entire life. After all, being a recovering addict instead of in active addiction is a complete lifestyle change.

Sobriety is selfish in the sense that it’s all about you, but the motivation behind wanting to be in sobriety doesn’t have to be all about you. There are many different circumstances that motivate people to begin their recovery journey. One of those reasons may also be your sober motivation.

Motivating Factors To be Sober

Marriage

It is no secret that addiction can put a strain on your marriage. Trust is broken, infidelity may have taken place, lies, heartache, and so on. Addiction can affect a person’s marriage greatly. If addiction is the underlying problem in your marriage. Try getting clean instead of getting a divorce. It very well could be the solution to your marital strife.

Children

Not only can your addiction put a strain on your marriage but, it can hurt your children as well. Depending on your child’s age, the potential harm a child faces can traumatize a child for life. If old enough, they could become addicts themselves. In many cases, addict parents even lose custody of their children, sometimes permanently.

Work/Career

Addiction greatly affects your behavior and appearance in the workplace. It could jeopardize your job or chances for an amazing career. Once addiction deepens, many addicts can not even hold a steady job. If you are lucky enough to still be employed, try to fix the situation while it is still possible.

Legal

Unfortunately, legal issues go hand in hand with drug addiction. Addicts will commit crimes to get money for the drugs that they need. Addicts may face probation, parole, house arrest, loss of license, and even prison time. Legal issues can follow you and affect other areas of your life as well.

Health

Clearly, addiction affects your health, so needing to improve your health could easily be your motivation for getting clean. Drinking alcohol or using any illegal drugs not only diminishes your well being, but can cause you to contract diseases and destroy your body’s ability to properly function.

Better Life

All of these reasons are motivation to living a better life, but maybe the thought of a better life is the original motivation for your sobriety. While it may seem selfish to some, it’s a fabulous and justified reason. Being in recovery can and will improve every aspect of your life.

The number of reasons that motivate one to be in active recovery instead of active addiction are endless. Your motivation can be one reason or all of these reasons combined. Overall, every inspirational factor leads to the ultimate motivation. The yearning to live a more desirable and fulfilling life.

Staying Sober is Hard, Especially in the Beginning

You take on sobriety with a driving force, an unstoppable willpower, and personal incentive. While the very beginning of your sobriety, detox, and treatment will seem difficult, you must remember that the fight of your life has just begun. Your sobriety is a never ending battle.

Staying sober is hard, very hard. Especially, during the first year. There are millions of obstacles and issues that you must face.

  • Wreckage of The Past :Your problems won’t simply disappear, you must face them accordingly.

  • Sober Lifestyle : Creating a new life. A life without the use of drugs, you need coping skills and structured support. Your dreams are now achievable in recovery. Although, to accomplish your goals, you must become productive in life and in sobriety. It requires hard work and dedication.

  • People, Places, and Things : Changing people, places, and things are crucial to your recovery. If you do the same things with the same people, in the same places. What did you change? Nothing. You can’t do the same thing and expect different results.

  • Self Discovery : Addiction has changed you for the worse, but recovery will change you for the better. Finally, you can work on finding out who you truly are. You are capable of reaching your full potential as an amazing person in recovery.

It is true, staying sober is hard. Yet, the longer you stay clean and work on your recovery. Then, the more benefits you will reap. With each step and each day, your life will improve and your motivation to stay clean will grow stronger and stronger.

Eventually, sobriety will come naturally. Fighting for your recovery with strength and courage will come from deep within you. You will not think that staying sober is hard anymore. You will be living a sober lifestyle. Living as a productive individual who is inspired, empowered, and motivated in your recovery. Even though you may think that staying sober is hard, remember, you are worth it.

We want to know what motivates you. Why did you choose recovery?. What is your sober motivation?