If you’re battling with addiction and you want to know how to get sober for life, there are a few tricks that can help.
As a substance abuse treatment center in Pompano, we understand that fighting temptation in addiction recovery can be tough. Drug and alcohol addiction treatment is only the first step to getting clean and staying clean. Because there are plenty of things that can threaten your progress in addiction recovery, we’re sharing nine sobriety life hacks that can help you stay sober for life.
9 Sobriety Life Hacks for People in Addiction Recovery
If you’ve ever perused social media, you may have come across some interesting and even weird life hacks that work. These hacks are tips for accomplishing tasks quickly and easily. While addiction recovery isn’t as simple as figuring out how to dip Oreos in milk without getting your fingers dirty (put a fork through the cream part and dip it that way), below are some sober life hacks that can make this journey less complicated.
Sober Life Hack #1: Avoid potentially triggering situations
One of our most important sobriety hacks is avoiding situations where drugs or alcohol may be accessible. If you’re invited to a friend’s party and you know that they’ll be serving alcohol, don’t go. Apologize and instead make plans with them for another day. Do not pressure yourself to go to any event that can trigger a relapse.
Relapsing is hard on the mind and body, but it’s common for people in early recovery. At Banyan Pompano, we offer a relapse prevention program where we offer our patients tips for staying sober and help them develop effective relapse prevention strategies.
Sober Life Hack #2: Enjoy nonalcoholic drinks
Nowadays, most restaurants serve delicious non-alcoholic beverages, otherwise known as “mocktails”. Nonalcoholic drink options are great for recovering addicts who are having a tough time saying no to the idea of drinks. Many people also want to avoid any questions about their drinking habits that may come up when they don’t order a drink. Nonalcoholic drinks are also delicious! Next time you go to a restaurant, ask for a non-alcoholic beverage.
A little side note, this tip is recommended to those who have been in recovery for at least a year. Drinking mocktails can be triggering for some people, even if they’ve been sober for years. Do not try this if you don’t think you can’t avoid drinking alcohol.
Sober Life Hack #3: Know how and when to say “no”
Many recovering addicts end up relapsing or collapse under peer pressure because they haven’t established their “no” script. This script is a message that you can send or share with someone who’s invited you to an event where alcohol will be present or has asked you why you won’t drink. This takes away from the pressure of having to come up with an answer and streamlines the process of saying “no” and establishing boundaries.
Sober Life Hack #4: Discover your trigger control mechanism
Another one of our life hacks for addiction recovery is discovering your trigger control mechanism. A trigger control mechanism is a behavior that distracts you from the situation and helps you focus on your goal, which in this case is staying sober. It can be something repetitive, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist or tapping your forehead, or it can be something that separates you from the situation, like taking a walk. Find a trigger control mechanism that works for you and helps you refocus on your goal.
Sober Life Hack #5: Have a cup of water handy in social settings
Life hacks in addiction recovery are preventative measures. This one is especially important in social settings. A good way to mitigate any excuse to drink if you’re at a party is to always make sure you have a cup of water in your hand. This prevents people from asking you if you want a drink and ensures that you stay hydrated. Also, be sure to eat. Being hangry isn’t fun for anyone.
Getting into treatment is easy with our free insurance verification
"*" indicates required fields
Sober Life Hack #6: Don’t go out alone
There’s nothing wrong with going out or traveling in addiction recovery, but you have to play it smart. If you even have the smallest inclination to drink when you go out alone, then go out with a friend instead. It’s good to have someone around who will keep you accountable. Don’t risk your progress for one moment.
Sober Life Hack #7: Take a different way to work
A part of being in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction is coping with triggers. One common addiction trigger is familiar places. Maybe your drive to work is on a route where you see that bar you used to go to every day after you clocked out. Maybe you see a corner where you hung out with others who also liked to do drugs. Taking a different route to work removes these triggers from your life and helps you establish a daily routine that involves as few reminders about your addiction as possible.
Sober Life Hack #8: Put on the radio and do some cleaning
Cleaning is therapeutic. Your environment plays a big role in your mood, and a messy house can cause messy thoughts. Organize yourself while getting rid of some pent-up energy or frustrations by cleaning your living space. While you’re at it, you should also put on some music and make it fun.
Sober Life Hack #9: Buy someone their meal or coffee
Nothing promotes happiness more than helping others. You never know what other people are going through in their lives, and showing kindness can make a huge difference. A great way to do this is by paying for a stranger’s meal or coffee. If you’ve had a rough day, making someone else smile can boost your spirits, too.
There are many more ways to stay sober from drugs and alcohol. Practicing these life hacks in sobriety is meant to make this journey smoother. The important thing is to find tips that work for you.
If you’re battling drug addiction or alcoholism and don’t know what to do, we can help. Call Banyan Treatment Centers now at 888-280-4763 to speak to one of our team members about our addiction treatment in Pompano.
Related Readings:
