When you start recovery or treatment for substance abuse, more or less forced, almost everyone does it for different reasons, some out of conviction, others as a result of an ultimatum, and others because there are no more life options. Most people, even the most convinced, at first try to settle for abstinence. However, along the way, many people face relapses, and do not understand why they choose addiction instead of abstinence!
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No More Pretending
Although many people think that relapse is the act of using, in reality, this situation begins much earlier. The consequence is obvious and what is visible is consumption, but there are many other similar things you may have done wrong in the past. Sometimes, even when being aware, some people think that it does not matter, and sometimes they indulge without realizing how bad it has gotten. It is believed that what makes the difference, and what really leads to success in recovery, is to completely change the lifestyle. Pretending to recover without changes is almost impossible. Furthermore, the change must not be superficial but internally assimilated as a change in priorities. This is the time to be completely honest and knows the risk factors.
Feeding the Beast
For example, among many addicts, the gatherings of friends are deeply rooted. Attending these meetings or parties that occur weekend after weekend is an option that addicts do not take; yet, they know it is dangerously close to relapsing. How do you pretend to see your friends, your colleagues on the spree, week after week, month after month, even years, and be able to resist drinking? It does matter that many of your friends are also addicts because if you hang around them, it is possible that you could go back to your old ways. It is like feeding the beast. Moreover, any day, not that day, any other day, for any irrelevant reason, you could cave in. Your environment has everything to do with the choices you make. For that reason, you must always be mindful of the people you let into your circle when you are trying to earn the hard work you put into becoming sober.
Choosing New Friends
Relapse can happen at any time because the addiction is not in a hurry to get you back where you were before. It can happen gradually. Before you know it, you are back to your addictive behavior. The best thing to do is to find new friends who have the same goals and objectives you have of living a drug-free or alcohol-free lifestyle, which means abstaining from anything addictive. That is why it is so important to know what our risk factors are so you are clear about your profile as a drinker or addict, in addition to your trigger points.
Conclusion
It does not matter, if you are a lone drinker or addict, or you hang with people who exhibit the same behavior as you do. What matters is that you choose where you go and who you go with. If you have always been a social drinker, and you want to quit the habit, you should consider going into a rehab program like Impact Recovery Center for help and then changing your lifestyle to fit the way you want to live your life from that point on.
