Dr. Cali Estes - The Addictions Academy ®

3 Mistakes To Avoid in Recovery

3 mistakes in addiction recovery

3 Mistakes To Avoid in Recovery

Navigating early recovery can be a daunting task. Your whole life is different now, and getting the substances out of your body and getting healthy is important, but you also must learn how to live life in the real world now.

Sometimes, this includes some of the consequences of your actions in your active addiction. This could involve facing issues with friends or family or even legal trouble.

The good news is that you’re not alone, and you’re not the first person to get sober and be concerned about making mistakes along the way. We’ve compiled the top three mistakes to avoid in addiction recovery.

1. Thinking That You Are Cured

You can’t be cured of addiction. Sometimes, when people have a good bit of recovery, say a year, they think they have kicked this addiction thing. The problem is that you’ll always be living in recovery for the rest of your life. It doesn’t just go away like a wart on your hand or an ex-boyfriend. It’s a constant battle, but it gets much easier over time.

However, you can’t simply stop your recovery plan because you’ve been sober for some while now. For example, you can’t stop taking care of yourself and eating properly. If you begin to fall back into old patterns you had when you were using or drinking, then chances are those patterns could lead to a relapse before you even realize it happens.

Addiction is tricky and patient, so letting your guard down is not a good idea.

2. Spending Time With Old Buddies

Another common mistake people tend to make early in recovery is that they can return to hanging out with their old using or drinking buddies and be just fine. This is not true at all. It can be challenging because some of these people may have been really close to you, but if you want to continue on your path of recovery, it’s essential that you don’t spend much time with the old gang.

Your friends are most likely not going to stop just for you, so being around alcohol or drugs and being the only one not using them is going to be a trigger. In early recovery, you are vulnerable, and it is just too risky to be around people who are using drugs or alcohol while you are in recovery. Sooner or later, you could join back in and throw away your hard work.

3. Not Asking For Help

Another big mistake people make in recovery is that they think they don’t need any help. It can feel embarrassing to ask for help, but it is imperative that you do. Recovery can be hard to navigate early on, so the more people you can contact for assistance, the better.

If you begin to feel off, try to set your pride aside and ask for help from a counselor, coach, or close friend.

It’s a good idea to find people who have a long time in recovery and ask them for advice. A recovery coach is great to chat with because they have been exactly where you are and can offer sound advice.

Become a Recovery Coach and Give Back

After navigating through the early stages of recovery, you may decide to give back to the community. A great way to do this is to become a recovery coach. Recovery coaches have years of sobriety under their belt, and they help people in early recovery in many ways. 

The Addictions Academy offers a certified recovery coach course that you can take to learn how to become one. The world could use some more recovery coaches to help guide the people who are newly sober, so why not let one of them be you? Reach out today to learn more.

Share post: