One of the purposes of a residential rehabilitation center is to remove you from your drug using life long enough for you to clear your head and start down the path to sobriety. But what happens when you complete the program and come home? Maybe you didn't go to a rehab but are attending meetings and staying clean. Regardless of how you got to this point, you want to keep moving forward in a positive way. With a few planned changes, you can set the stage for continued success.
Find new hangouts: Even if the places you used to frequent are public venues, such as the neighborhood bowling alley, or the corner of 5th and Vine, hanging out there again could prove to be a trigger. It is also where your old drug buddies will reconnect with you. Now is the time to celebrate your newfound sobriety with new hangouts. Seek places that aren't known for drug activity and take a sober friend with you to check them out.
Try new hobbies: While on drugs, the act of seeking, using and seeking again, dominated your life. Now that you are sober, you have time to explore other interests. Pick a hobby and commit to trying it for three months. If it holds your interest, keep enjoying it. If it doesn't, then choose another one and try it for three months. Whether you learn to play guitar, take a Spanish class, or work on a stand-up comedy routine, keeping busy is the key.
Avoid old friends: Falling back into the old routine is easier if the same people you did drugs with before are still in your life. Find some non-drug-using friends. This can be done through work, your new hobbies, taking classes, or joining a social group that does activities together. The sooner you build new social circles, the sooner your old drug friends will remain where they belong, in your memories.
Change your phone number: The fastest way to stop communicating with drug contacts is to remove your number from their reach and never call them again. Changing your cell and home phone number, without telling anyone, lets you start fresh. Call your phone carrier and ask if they allow a one-time free number change. If not, paying for it may be worth it to you. Remember to write down or otherwise save the numbers you do want to keep (family members and sober friends) so you can send out a mass text or email telling them your new number.
Find new hangouts: Even if the places you used to frequent are public venues, such as the neighborhood bowling alley, or the corner of 5th and Vine, hanging out there again could prove to be a trigger. It is also where your old drug buddies will reconnect with you. Now is the time to celebrate your newfound sobriety with new hangouts. Seek places that aren't known for drug activity and take a sober friend with you to check them out.
Try new hobbies: While on drugs, the act of seeking, using and seeking again, dominated your life. Now that you are sober, you have time to explore other interests. Pick a hobby and commit to trying it for three months. If it holds your interest, keep enjoying it. If it doesn't, then choose another one and try it for three months. Whether you learn to play guitar, take a Spanish class, or work on a stand-up comedy routine, keeping busy is the key.
Avoid old friends: Falling back into the old routine is easier if the same people you did drugs with before are still in your life. Find some non-drug-using friends. This can be done through work, your new hobbies, taking classes, or joining a social group that does activities together. The sooner you build new social circles, the sooner your old drug friends will remain where they belong, in your memories.
Change your phone number: The fastest way to stop communicating with drug contacts is to remove your number from their reach and never call them again. Changing your cell and home phone number, without telling anyone, lets you start fresh. Call your phone carrier and ask if they allow a one-time free number change. If not, paying for it may be worth it to you. Remember to write down or otherwise save the numbers you do want to keep (family members and sober friends) so you can send out a mass text or email telling them your new number.
