30 Ways to Get to 30 Days - Recovery from Addiction
30 Ways to Get to 30 Days - Recovery from Addiction
In honor of #RecoveryMonth we want to give you 30 practical tips to get you to 30 days alcohol or substance-free. We would love for you to bask in the glow of your serious achievement and let it boost your confidence that you'll make it to day 60, 90, and beyond. You got this!
Don't overthink it. There's a reason you want to quit drinking or using, and if you go overboard on the "can I really do this?" You'll never start. Think about today and keep your choice in today, and don't use tomorrow as an excuse.
Make this time different. We have ALL sworn we were never drinking again. We have all made iron-clad resolutions to "never again." A quiet little voice tends to get stronger after a little less than a week. A little voice that tells you it wasn't that big a deal and that you're over-dramatic. You owe it yourself to make a plan for how it will be different this time. It doesn't matter how many times you try to quit; you only need that one time where you do.
Get writing. It would help if you captured the way you feel in these moments, where the only thing you desire is to already have a long stretch of sobriety behind you, your drinking days a hazy, distant memory. You will need to remind yourself why you want to stop. Not just once, but one hundred, one million times on this journey. List the top ten most burning reasons you don't want to drink or use anymore and hold them to you tight.
Set a starter goal. Ideally, we want to quit forever, but that can seem too intimidating to someone freshly sober. It immediately inspires thoughts of "but what about this holiday?" "what about such and such's birthday?" Thirty days can seem so overwhelming that it may seem easy to succumb to old habits. Aim for a week, then another, and another. Before you know it, thirty doesn't seem so unachievable.
Experiment with alternatives. Unless you plan on staying in your house for 30 days (we do not recommend), then you will be around alcohol or substances at some point. What will be in your hand that is alcohol-free? What other activities can you do that do not involve drinking or using? Get exploring your alternative options.
Be extremely mindful of your inner dialogue. Your mind is going to try and sabotage you at some point. You will have whispering voices telling you that this is a pile of BS, or that you do so much for others, so what does a small drink or a minor hit hurt? Listening to those voices never got you anywhere before, and they definitely won't now. Tell them to shut up.
Have a first sober weekend plan. People tend to drink more on the weekend, and the weekend is usually when well-set intentions crumble. Create a strategy where you're very gentle with yourself during this critical time. Ideally, the more self-care practices you can fill these days with, the better. Berating yourself never got you sober before, so don't do it now.
Remember, you aren't alone. There is a wealth of blogs, podcasts, books, documentaries, and more about the topic of early sobriety. Addictive behavior left you feeling trapped, isolated, and unloveable. Connecting with others about your struggle will set you free.
Tell the right people. You don't have to tell everyone what you're doing but telling the right ones will make all the difference. Now is a critical time for you where you will need the proper support, so look carefully at the people in your life. Who will have your back, and who will try and egg you into having one with them when your guard is down?
Reward yourself. Humans like incentives. Make a list of activities you could try, things you could buy: movies, takeout, whatever. The more you reward yourself for taking this step, the easier a process it will be psychologically. Treat yourself daily if you need to, the ultimate reward is worth it.
Throw out your alcohol or drugs. Exactly as it says, if it's not there, you can't drink or use it. So just make sure it's not there.
Change your routine. This is especially important for the times you usually fall into temptation. If you cannot go to happy hour and drink soda, you're going to a yoga class instead. Know your blind spots.
Build on momentum. Staying sober is as vital as a full-time job right now, and you need to treat it as such. Use each day passed drink- or drug-free as a stepping stone to the next drink- or drug-free day.
Remind yourself that you don't want to do a day one again. Remember how bad day one felt? Remember how good getting to 10, 20, 30 days felt like before? Don't hurt yourself by having to go through it all again.
Get an app on your phone. For some, seeing the increasing numbers on their phone makes them feel highly gratified and is a good reminder of how far they've come.
Remove all your stressors. This is not the time to take on a new project, more responsibilities, or volunteer for your community. Rest and relaxation are what are going to help your body and mind recover from this. Don't sabotage yourself.
Focus on the positive. You now get time to explore what indeed makes you feel happy. Drinking or using didn't make you feel happy, but you sure made a good go in seeing if it would. Now you can focus on what you think could do so.
Prepare for "Breakdown" days. There will be days where you will be so frighteningly close to drinking you will scare yourself. Go home and get into bed. Netflix and chill or talking to someone who knows about your recovery journey are what is going to get you through these moments.
If you need even more incentives, just look at your bank account. Drugs and alcohol are expensive, and if you're not drinking or using anymore, you are handing yourself back a serious amount of money. The cost of alcohol or drugs isn't just in the price of the drink. It's in all the accompanying decisions around it. The bad food, the taxis, the impulse purchases. Take those savings and invest in something you've always wanted to do. You're worth it.
Think like a "vegetarian." Some people are so terrified to reveal their "alcohol-free status" at dinner parties that they will avoid going altogether, or they'll get defensive when asked. Treat your alcohol-free status like a decision to be vegetarian. Does anyone care if you are or not? No, so you shouldn't either.
H.A.L.T - Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. You need to be very careful of being too much of any of these in your first 30 days. Be gentle with yourself; you're starting to heal.
Just because people around you fall off the wagon doesn't mean you have to. Remember that your journey is your own and that other people deciding to drink or use again doesn't mean you have to betray yourself.
Sober friends. You need them. Otherwise, you'll end up feeling like a tulip in a rose garden, and that feeling of isolation can lead you right back to the bottle.
Don't add a problem to a problem. There is no doubt that your life is pretty messy right now and that you have many repairs to make. However, old vices aren't the answer! It would be like taking the mess and setting it on fire. You don't need to get any more burnt.
Remember that marketing is just that, marketing. Even if we avoid alcohol as much as possible, it is still highly likely that we will run into messages that glamourize drinking. This can lead us into a spiral of doubts. Don't let it! Remember, they're not portraying an authentic portrait of alcohol use.
Get curious. What will your life be like now that it doesn't have booze or pills in it? Who are you going to be, and what are you going to do now that you've given yourself a second chance? It's an exciting thought! Nobody ever got sober or clean and regretted it! Meditation is your friend here.
Create a short, mid, and long-term plan for your future. After meditating, slowing down, and looking within, paint how you want your future to look. What are your new goals and ambitions?
Milestones can be tricky. Prepare for that. As you approach 30 straight days of sobriety, you could start to feel all sorts of emotions, and you have to be careful not to let them lead you astray.
Relish in how much better you feel. There is no way on planet earth that you don't feel 100000000 times better as you approach day 30 than when you were starting - your vision is clearer, intuition stronger, and body healthier. You are a warrior!
Be bone-breakingly proud of yourself - YOU MADE IT! Here's to many more sober and clean milestones in the future.
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