Content reviewed by Nicholas G. Glines

Detox and addiction treatment are the first chapters on the journey toward recovery. While vital chapters, it is what you make of your time after detox and treatment that sustains recovery. However, the early stages of recovery will come with challenges.

A big proponent of laying the foundations for lasting success requires establishing a sense of independence and self-sufficient practices. This means facing challenges without the aid of substances or friends and family that may enable you. While you may not have these to fall back on, you will develop coping mechanisms that will help open you up to a world of possibility during treatment.

What does being self-sufficient after addiction treatment look like?

The more reliant you are, the more comfortable you will feel in recovery. Certainly, some things will be out of your control; however, when you become self-sufficient, you feel more in control because you have the devices to combat challenges. Such an amount of confidence is empowering. Here are some ways to promote self-sufficiency:

  • Treat yourself well. While support from counselors, doctors, peers and family feels good, perhaps the most rewarding support can come from yourself. Champion yourself on your bravery and courage to confront your addiction and achieve sobriety. Remember to strive for the best version of yourself and do not put yourself down along the way. You might not be perfect, but no one is. You might consider reciting positive affirmations or keeping a gratitude journal to remind you of your progress and positive traits.
  • Know you are good. You do not owe it to anybody to explain or prove why you are good. You know your accomplishments and positive attributes, and that’s all that matters. Recovery is all about getting to know the real you—the sober you—and you become more comfortable in your skin when you do this. You also do not need to boast; quiet confidence makes you intriguing and compelling.
  • Take responsibility. Treatment will help you gain an inner strength you might never have known existed. Such strength will allow you to take responsibility, even amidst the most challenging times. Taking responsibility also means counting on yourself. If you rely on others too much, you limit yourself the opportunity to figure things out for yourself. Personal responsibility is an aspect of self-sufficiency.

How do I ask for help after addiction treatment?

While taking responsibility and confronting challenges on your own is vital to becoming self-sufficient, there will be times when you need help, and this is okay. Remember, independence does not mean isolation. Regularly talking with your therapist, counselor and other friends and family is healthy for your social and independent life. Such social interactions help disarm challenges from growing out of control. Even meeting up with a friend to talk about movies or television helps reduce certain stressors that can interfere with recovery.

Meeting on a consistent basis with others is also comforting because it reminds you that help is available if you need it. Therefore, if the time comes to ask for help, you do not need to feel ashamed. If you experience a setback or feel lost, it’s better to communicate than internalize. Long-term sobriety takes unity: unity within and with others.

Learn to love yourself and learn from your mistakes when recovering from addiction.

Recovery grants you a new lease on life, and finding your purpose is essential to the journey. Purpose also helps with self-sufficiency. In early recovery, you will need to let go of the past, learn to love yourself and learn from your mistakes. However, these steps are just the beginning. The search for purpose requires becoming involved in activities that you enjoy.

You may discover that your purpose is helping others in recovery, people or animals. Or you may discover a passion for music and take up learning how to play an instrument. Recovery is the time to explore. Pursuing such activities will help you learn to trust and love yourself again, two traits vital for independence.

Accept yourself in addiction recovery.

Focusing on things that you deem “wrong” with yourself cultivates a negative perception of yourself and the world around you. Focusing on the negative also causes you to surrender a lot of your independence and power because you will always feel undeserved. Ask yourself, how does any of this help your recovery or achieve your goals? Give yourself a break. If you need approval, approve yourself. You do not need permission to accept who you are. Cultivating a positive perception will shift your perspective of the world and project through your body language, thus causing others to respond favorably to you.

New Hope Ranch is a treatment facility in Manor, Texas, dedicated to helping individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders develop self-sufficient skills to help them sustain recovery. With us, you will always have a point of support. If you or a loved one is currently struggling to manage recovery, the time to get help is now. Our admissions staff is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To learn more about our extensive treatment programs, reach out today and call (737) 600-8565.