7 Healthy Coping Mechanisms for Recovering Addicts

woman with bottle and glass of alcohol

Recovering from addiction isn’t easy and without the right support system, the possibility of relapse is quite high. While there is a wide range of resources you can use to aid in your recovery process, the help and support of family are often the most important.

If you find that you are struggling to keep up with the recovery process try to learn a few healthy recovery mechanisms and seek help from professionals, family, and friends. You need all the help you can get to keep you focused on your recovery journey.

Recovering from addiction can be difficult. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make the process easier. Learn about healthy coping mechanisms here.

7 Healthy Coping Mechanisms You Should Try

While rehabilitation plays an important role in ending addiction, you still need a healthy support system to ensure you do not relapse. Even the slightest of stress can cause a relapse.

This is why it’s recommended that you know several coping mechanisms to help you with your recovery process. These include:

1. Honesty

Recovery begins by approaching your family and friends and asking for help. Be open and talk about the effects your addiction is having on you and your family.

The more you continue lying the harder it becomes to get help and you’ll become so good at it that it becomes harder to tell whether you are struggling or not. Reach out and ask for help, especially when you feel you are about to relapse. Sometimes all it takes to get you back on track is a voice of reason.

Being honest will not only help you in your recovery journey but it will also improve your relationship with your family and friends. Visit this website if you are having trouble with addiction recovery.

2. Help Other Addicts

It’s said that helping others makes you feel better. Reach out to other recovering addicts and walk this addiction recovery journey together.

The best way to overcome such a tremendous obstacle is with a recovery partner. Walk this journey with someone who understands what you are going through. Help others who are going through the same and in time as you see the progress made, you’ll be motivated to continue.

Anytime you feel you are about to relapse, think of how far you have come and how you’ve helped others recover. Develop a strong network with the people you are helping recover and be their pillar during the recovery process. This will motivate you to remain clean as there are others who are looking up to you.

3. Stress Management

Stress is a part of daily life and almost everyone experiences it. However, everyone has a different way of dealing with stress.

Some prefer to use drugs to help manage stress while others prefer physical activities such as boxing or weight training to help blow off steam. There are others who prefer meditation.

Since you are guaranteed to experience stressful situations every once in a while, come up with an effective way of stress management that will not affect your recovery process. Learn to confront the stressful issues instead of letting the stress buildup to insane levels that eventually get out of control.

4. Exercise Regularly

Since you have decided to quit your addiction, it’s time to pick up an exercise routine to keep you focused. While you might think that exercises are idiotic, it actually takes a lot of dedication and heart to perform the same exercise every day. Take a look at bodybuilders, these guys have to eat the same meals and perform the same exercises every week.

Do you think it’s easy? It’s not. It’s that discipline that ensures you stick to your exercise routine that will prevent relapses.

Enroll in a recovery program that has a fitness program. This will help you control your addiction and keep you healthy.

5. Avoid Common Triggers

This is a common healthy coping skill that you will learn in most addiction recovery programs. It entails avoiding H.A.L.T symptoms.

If you feel you are tired just rest or go to sleep. If you are hungry, buy or cook a meal but make sure you eat. Try to avoid any situation that will cause stress buildup.

Any stress or tension buildup will eventually lead to a relapse. Strategize your behavior and avoid high-risk situations. Ensure that you distance yourself from any triggers or cues.

However, there are situations that you simply can’t avoid no matter how hard you try. For example, a stressful day at work or an intense day at school.

You can’t always control how your day will go but you can control how you react. This is where healthy coping skills will come in handy. You can come up with an activity to help keep you calm.

6. Anger Management

Anger can be a very powerful trigger and can lead you down a path of destruction. It’s an emotion that influences both your emotional and physical state.

It will heighten your body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. Your mind will think that things are getting out of control, fueling the desire to relapse in the hope that it will help manage the situation.

Through anger management, you can diffuse a similar situation without resorting to aggressiveness. You can also engage in physical activities to help release tension. This will eliminate the urge to relapse in order to control your anger.

7. Positive Reframing

Instead of thinking of every situation that doesn’t suit you as negative, think of it in a positive note. Try to resolve conflicts in a way that everyone leaves happy.

See the humor in things that typically make you sad. Humor can be a very effective coping mechanism. Reframe your situations and think of the positive outcomes.

Benefits of Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Learning healthy coping mechanisms is a vital part of your addiction recovery journey. Some of these will not only prevent you from relapsing but they will also improve your life. For example, exercising regularly will improve your health. Being honest and developing social connections will improve your relationships with family and friends.

For more information on self-improvement and how to live a healthy lifestyle, continue checking out our blog.