Can a Sober Inner Circle Help With Addiction Recovery?
The road to recovery isn’t always smooth but surrounding yourself with people who invest in your sobriety can make things easier. Having an inner circle of people who understand your goals and actively support them by modeling a substance-free lifestyle can take away some of the pressure that may lead to a relapse.
Read more to find other ways having a sober inner circle can help with your addiction recovery.
Minimizing Peer Pressure
When your friends regularly partake in substance use, you may experience some peer pressure to join, and it may be difficult to separate yourself from your old social circles. You may have a lot of time and emotional investment tied to the people you spent time with before you started your recovery journey. Regardless of your situation, it’s important to choose your relationships based on the people who are most conducive to your health and well-being. Recognizing which relationships cause you to feel pressure to relapse can help you distance yourself from those people and establish healthy boundaries.
Remove Temptation
It’s important to choose your activities wisely. When you avoid environments where you’re likely to encounter substances that can tempt you to relapse, you may find it easier to stay committed to your sobriety. For example, if your friends invite you to a party where they plan to use alcohol and other substances, it may put you into a situation where you have easy access to substances.
By comparison, choosing a group of friends who enjoy activities where you won’t encounter drugs or alcohol can help you spend time in environments that set you up for success. Exploring your interests and engaging with hobbies in social groups that keep you away from situations where you may be tempted is a great way of making new friends, discovering your interests and passions, and keeping you busy while you build your resilience. When you’re engaged in activities, you enjoy and are surrounded by people with similar interests, it can reduce the temptation to relapse.
Modeling a Substance-Free Lifestyle
Finding a group of like-minded people who understand your goals and support your efforts is important during recovery. Some ways friends who support your sobriety can set you up for success are checking in on you, holding you accountable, and encouraging you to make choices that align with your goals. These friends can foster a safe and welcoming environment so you can focus on recovery.
Having friends who understand your struggles and provide empathetic support as you progress through your journey can be a comforting source of healing. Additionally, having friends in your inner circle who are sober by choice without a history of substance use may help you find activities and hobbies to enjoy outside of environments where you may be tempted to relapse.
Before and during recovery, it can sometimes be hard to imagine a life without drugs or alcohol, especially if you’ve spent a significant length of time using drugs or alcohol as part of your regular routine. Therefore, surrounding yourself with people who can model a substance-free lifestyle can help you feel more confident in your sobriety. Seeing other people succeed at managing a lifestyle that doesn’t involve substance use can help you find the courage to do the same.
Encouraging a Lifestyle Change
Ultimately, addiction recovery requires you to commit to a lifestyle change. Change isn’t easy, but having the right support systems in place can help you stay committed to your goals and remind you how far you’ve come.
Addiction recovery isn’t easy, but it is possible. With a combination of professional treatment and healthy social support, you can work toward your sobriety. You’re not alone on your journey. If you are looking for alcohol or drug rehab near New Jersey, our Sunrise House Treatment Center is here for you with a supportive community and qualified professionals.
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