Stay On The Road To Recovery: 3 Steps To Help You Avoid A Relapse This Summer
Summer is officially in full-swing. It's finally time to get out and have some fun with your family and friends. If you're a recovering alcoholic, it's also time to start worrying about relapses. That's because so many people will be planning parties and backyard barbecues. Being a recovering alcoholic doesn't mean you need to stay confined to your home during the summer. It just means that you need to take some extra precautions to avoid a relapse. In addition to continuing with your weekly meetings and staying in contact with your sponsor, here are three additional steps that will help you stay on your road to recovery this summer.
Keep Your Friends and Family in the Loop
When it comes to dealing with a recovery, you may think it's easier to try and keep things to yourself. However, that's not actually true. In fact, it's easier to recover from an addiction when you keep your friends and family in the loop. They'll need to know how they can help you, and the only way they can do that is if they know what's going on. This is particularly true when it comes to your triggers – those things that tend to make it difficult for you to stay away from alcohol. Now that summer is here, sit down with your friends and family and let them know how they can help you. Give them a list of your triggers so that they can help you avoid those situations.
Monitor Your Own Triggers
Letting your friends and family members know about your triggers is a crucial part of your recovery. However, it's also crucial that you monitor your own triggers. You need to know your triggers inside and out so that when you're faced with one, you can react quickly. Being able to react quickly to your triggers will help you avoid a relapse this summer.
Know About HALT
If you're battling alcohol addiction, you need to know about HALT. That is, you need to know when you're getting hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Sadly, any of those issues can bring on a relapse. Not only that, but they can also increase the severity of your triggers. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to control your triggers if you're not prepared for the severity in which they present themselves. To avoid that, you need to avoid being hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. First, always carry a few snacks with you. Second, walk away at the first hint of agitation. Third, find groups to be with when you're feeling lonely. Finally, get to bed at a reasonable hour so you can get the rest you need.
For more tips, you may want to work with a local alcohol rehab program.
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