Difficulties of Staying Sober in Early Recovery and How to Overcome Them

Whether you are new to recovery or an old veteran, certain obstacles may get in the way of your sobriety. Being prepared for and knowing how to handle these situations will help you on your path to long-term addiction recovery.

You have probably heard that staying sober in addiction recovery is difficult. And while it does definitely have its challenges, knowing what to expect and understanding how to overcome these difficulties before they happen can be the difference between success and failure.

Below we have put together a few of the most common hurdles you can expect in addiction recovery along with a few tips on how to more easily overcome them.

7 Things that Make it Tough to Stay Sober:

1. Unrealistic expectations.

Upon leaving addiction treatment, it is not uncommon to feel the desire to boomerang your life back into order immediately. You may be thinking about a new career, buying a house, or meeting that special someone. Having goals for your first year in sobriety is great, but you need to keep it realistic. After all, you are recovering from an illness that took away years of your life. Staying sober and healthy is your number one priority, and if that is “all” you accomplish in your first year of sobriety, then you should give yourself a pat on the back! Recovery is hard work, and you should be proud!

2. New feelings.

All those feelings that you had kept masked underneath drugs or alcohol will come flooding to the surface. Especially for the first few months in recovery your feelings will be intensified, and it can often be scary. But the best thing to do is acknowledge them – and then let them go by engaging in activity. Allowing yourself to get lost in the rabbit hole of your thoughts can lead to relapse. When you are feeling intense negative feelings (this will happen a lot in early recovery) get active by calling your sponsor, going to the gym or taking a walk, meeting up with a friend for coffee – basically doing anything you can to get yourself ‘out of your head’. While it is important to come to terms with your feelings, take it slowly. It has been a long time since you allowed your feelings to come through so strongly on a regular basis, and it will take a while to get used to them!

3. New responsibilities.

Activities such as paying bills or applying for jobs may seem incredibly foreign and difficult. During the time that you were using, these activities may have been done under the influence, or often completely neglected. Getting used to these “new” responsibilities can seem like a huge undertaking and can create stress. Stress is one of the biggest relapse triggers, so make sure you reach out for help. Talk to your sponsor, friends and family when you feel overwhelmed – they are there to help you get through the tough times and stay sober.

4. Not fully committing to recovery.

This is incredibly important. Getting and staying sober is a task that cannot be completed overnight. Recovery is a long and winding journey that you must be committed to in order to be successful. It is so important to understand that you and only you are responsible for your own recovery – while family, friends and your sponsor can help you along the way, you will not be successful unless you are willing to make serious changes in your life and work on staying sober each and every day.

5. Lack of positive thinking.

Positive thinking can go a long way when it comes to successfully staying sober in early recovery. Many people go into recovery feeling as though it is a jail sentence or some sort of punishment. It is important to remember the positive changes that recovery has brought or will bring to your life, and remind yourself of these things each and every day. It also helps to keep a gratitude journal, a gentle reminder to yourself of the things you can be grateful for each day.

6. Forgiveness (or lack thereof).

In order to be successful in addiction recovery, you must forgive yourself. This is very hard for some people, especially for those who were involved with dishonest or hurtful situations during their addiction. There are many alcoholics and addicts who were responsible for taking another person’s life through motor vehicle accidents or violent acts while under the influence. No matter what you did when you were addicted, you need to forgive yourself. You need to understand that those actions were caused by your illness, and now that you are in recovery you are able to act as the person you truly are. Beating yourself up over the past will only lead to depression, anger and other negative feelings that will more than likely send you into a relapse.

7. Undiagnosed co-occurring disorder.

As many as 6 in 10 people with a substance abuse disorder have at least one other mental health disorder, often referred to as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Common mental health disorders that accompany addiction include stress or anxiety disorders, depression, personality disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among others.

If you have an underlying mental health disorder that has not been properly diagnosed, chances of staying sober will significantly decrease. It is important that your addiction treatment provider is experienced in dual diagnosis. If you believe that you may have an underlying mental health disorder that has not been properly diagnosed, talk to a mental health professional immediately, before your disorder causes you to relapse.

Be Successful in Recovery

No matter how much you think you are prepared to be successful in recovery, there will always be curveballs headed your way. One of the most important things that you can do is to surround yourself with an amazing support group – fellow recovering addicts, your sponsor, and family and friends who you trust to support you in your journey – and open the lines of communication. Reach out to your support network when times get tough, or when you feel scared, sad or anxious. Attend a meeting if you are feeling lost.

Shafa Home , offer’s a unique and effective addiction treatment method that includes relapse prevention and an intensive aftercare programme. If you are struggling to stay sober, reach out to one of our addiction counsellors to see how we can help.

Shafa Home is country’s premier organization for treatment of alcohol/drug problems, de-addiction, rehabilitation, counseling, treatment for females, nasha mukti , psychiatric disorders and secondary addictions like gambling, internet etc.

( These Articles are the sole property of “ The Cabin Chiang Mai “ , they are its original authors  )

Drug Abuse, Dopamine and the Reward System Explained

Advances in neuroscience have allowed doctors and scientists to dive deep into the brain’s functioning to better understand the cause of addiction. The brain’s reward system plays a major role, alongside many other factors.

For far too long now, the stigma of drug abuse has led many people to believe that addicts lack willpower, and that they should be able to ‘just stop’ taking drugs. After all, millions of people experiment with drugs and alcohol each year without ever becoming addicted. However, the recent developments in neurobiology have given a better insight into what addiction actually is. By studying the brain’s reaction to different substances, scientists have been able to discover that drug abuse can actually alter the chemical makeup of the brain, which is what causes addiction.

How Does Drug Abuse Affect the Brain?

The brain sits at the epicentre of human activity. In order to do, feel or think anything, the brain is involved. It is the communication centre for the rest of the body, constantly sending out messages to different parts of the body through neurons, neurotransmitters, receptors and transporters.

When it comes to drug abuse, the regular communication pathways are interrupted. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains it as follows:

“Drugs are chemicals that affect the brain by tapping into its communication system and interfering with the way neurons normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This similarity in structure “fools” receptors and allows the drugs to attach onto and activate the neurons. Although these drugs mimic the brain’s own chemicals, they don’t activate neurons in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network. Other drugs, such as amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the neurons to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message, ultimately disrupting communication channels.”

Understanding the Brain’s Reward System

When a person partakes in a pleasurable activity – be it a sexual encounter, a delicious meal, a monetary gain or even taking a mood-altering drug – the brain processes these different types of pleasure in the same way. Each of these pleasurable encounters cause a release of of the neurotransmitter dopamine  into a cluster of nerve cells just below the cerebral cortex, called the nucleus accumbens. Because this part of the brain is so closely tied to pleasure, it is often referred to as the brain’s reward or pleasure centre.

The reward system is present in the brain to ensure that humans repeat life-sustaining activities such as eating food, drinking water and mating. When people take drugs or drink alcohol, however, it basically sends the system into overdrive.

The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Reward System

Drugs cause a massive surge of dopamine in the brain – far more than one would experience during a meal or other natural rewards. The amount of dopamine released by drugs is usually 2 to 10 times higher than natural rewards, and the “feel good” sensation usually lasts much longer.  Drugs also cause the brain to release dopamine much more quickly than a natural reward as well.

There are three main factors that contribute to the likelihood of a drug being addictive which are as follows:

·         The speed with which it promotes dopamine release.

·         The intensity or strength of the dopamine release.

·         The reliability of the dopamine release.

This is why the most addictive drugs of abuse are often smoked or injected – the drug makes its way to the brain much faster and with a great intensity. In turn, it promotes a rapid, intense burst of dopamine – giving the body such a high “feel good” sensation that the brain simply wants more of it once it starts to wear off. And because the pleasure is so much greater than that of natural rewards, the brain begins to want more and more of it to produce the same feeling – after all, that part of the brain exists to encourage humans to repeat activities that trigger the release of dopamine.

Tolerance and Addiction in the Brain

If the sun is too bright, you put on sunglasses. If the volume on your television is too loud, you turn it down. The brain works in a similar way. In an effort to adjust itself to these surges of dopamine (and other neurotransmitters), the brain reacts by producing less dopamine or by shrinking the amount of receptors that can receive the signal. This means that the ability to feel pleasure from any activity is significantly reduced. Natural rewards barely register in the reward system anymore, leaving the person feeling deflated, depressed and unable to enjoy the activities they once found pleasurable – and instead they seek dopamine-flooding drugs. Because the brain’s reward system is less reactive, a person will also need to take more of the drug than before in order to get the same feeling. This is what is called tolerance.

Other Contributing Factors to Addiction

In order to become addicted to a substance, of course, one must take the substance in the first place. But as mentioned earlier, many people are capable of experimenting with drugs (or alcohol) without any ill effects. So what is it that makes some people get addicted?

Scientists have concluded that the cause of addiction is 50-60% genetics and 40-50% environment. Some people have less active reward centres, causing them to feel depressed and lifeless even before they experiment with drugs. For many, the first experimentation with drugs is an attempt to fill a void. Famous singer and recovering addict Lucky Ali said, “Drugs and alcohol are not my problem, reality is my problem, drugs and alcohol are my solution.” He continued, “I look to drugs and booze to fill up a hole in me.”

In other cases mental illness, child abuse, addicted parents or other factors play a role in the development of addiction. The important thing to understand, however, is that once drug abuse has affected the brain’s reward system, it is usually incredibly difficult or impossible to stop using without professional addiction treatment.

Getting the Right Addiction Treatment

Shafa Home is a residential rehab centre that offers a unique and effective treatment programme for those suffering from drug abuse and addiction. Combining Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and our own Recovery Zones we are able to work with clients to re-train the brain, making it possible to stop using. If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, contact us today

Shafa Home is country’s premier organization for treatment of alcohol/drug problems, de-addiction, rehabilitation, counseling, treatment for females, nasha mukti , psychiatric disorders and secondary addictions like gambling, internet etc.

( These Articles are the sole property of “ The Cabin Chiang Mai “ , they are its original authors  )