A Guide to Sober Living

You’re on the precipice of leaving rehab and venturing out into the world as the newly sober you. The New York Times reports that around 28 percent of adults in the United States have drinking habits that place them in an at-risk category for alcoholism and problems with stem from alcohol use and abuse. In addition, in 2012, approximately 23.9 million Americans reported using a drug non-medically in the prior month. This means quite a large percentage of the population are using drugs and drinking – and these people could serve as triggers, tempting you to return to substance abuse. It is your responsibility to plan ahead for encountering these triggers so you avoid returning to your old habits when you exit rehab.

Motivation is a great prediction of how well you’ll fare in the world of drinkers and drug users as an abstainer. This is why motivational interviewing works so well for recovering addicts. In one Journal of Addiction study, alcohol use disorder patients with hepatitis C were split into two groups, only one of which received motivational enhancement therapy (MET). The MET group fared better overall by more than doubling their rate of abstinence, jumping from 34.98 percent days to 73.15 percent, with the control group only increasing from 34.63 to 59.49 percent.

In rehab, you’ve set some realistic goals for yourself, and you now must have the courage to work toward them. Everyone will have setbacks. It’s important to look at your failures as learning opportunities and not flaws in your character. More importantly, recovering addicts are notorious for looking for reasons to drink and use, and failures and disappointments are common reasons.

Avoid your old haunts. No more stopping at the corner bar after work or Sunday beer fests while you watch the game. You’re likely going to lose some friends, too. Addiction is a powerful thing, and it bonds many. During your time in treatment, it’s quite possible you found yourself thinking of your drinking buddies and identifying many of them as problem drinkers and alcoholics. Likewise, anyone you abused drugs within the past potentially has a substance abuse issue of their own. This isn’t a time to approach those friends with your concerns. This is a time to take care of yourself, and that may very well mean cutting ties with some people.

Unfortunately, the addict is generally a self-serving person, and while your friends at the bar may love you dearly, they don’t have your best interests at heart. As the saying goes, misery loves company, and truthfully, there are no truly happy alcoholics or drug addicts.

Make a commitment to yourself to commit to others. Keep attending support groups and therapy at the treatment facility where you completed rehab. If you haven’t found a local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous chapter, ask for a referral from an admissions counselor, therapist, or doctor. Go to meetings as often as you feel they are needed. If you’re religious, commit to attending services regularly. Determine which of your friends you can trust not to tempt you to break your commitment to sobriety and lean on them for support.

Work with a sponsor and spend time strengthening the bonds you have with family members, too. A strong support system will always boost your chances of long-term sobriety, but those without relatives to hold their hands have other options. The recent development of mobile phone apps geared to do the same thing – serve as a support system for the addict, with users being 65 percent more likely to remain sober in the first year post-treatment.