Self-determination and Long-term Recovery

The freedom to make your own choices is one of the first gifts given to you in recovery. During addiction, every choice you made was in service of addiction– how to get more drugs or alcohol and stay high was foremost in every thought and action. Now that you are free from physical and psychological dependence, you can explore possibilities and opportunities in life and create a new path that is defined by health and wellness.

Self-determination is a concept that describes the freedom you feel when you are able to make clear decisions about your own life and feel proud about your choices.¹ How can you continue to channel your self-determination so that you can remain clean and sober for the long term?

Self-determination: The Key to Success in Recovery

Your ability to reap the most rewards from recovery comes from your self-determination. Prioritizing your sobriety and mental health are the key to your ability to avoid relapse for the long term. Staying hopeful, focused, and persistent means that you will make choices that come from wise thinking, self-confidence, and the best version of yourself.

Maintaining Self-determination Throughout Recovery

So how do you develop and maintain self-determination in recovery? How do you avoid burnout and keep focused on the rewards that come with perseverance?

• Positive support network. Keeping positive people around you who are also focused on staying clean and sober can boost your ability to make good choices. You won’t be consistently tempted to drink or get high because you are around people who are sober, and if you ever feel tempted to relapse, you will be surrounded by people who will encourage you to fight the temptation
• Remove negativity. If there is an area of your life that you find stressful or that creates negative emotions (e.g., anger, depression, grief, anxiety, etc.) and it is possible to avoid it completely, then make the choice to remove it from your life.
• Insert positivity. What brings you joy in your life? What little things can you do to improve your quality of life each day? Eating well, treating yourself to a little “me time” each day, and spending time with good friends are a just a few ways to increase your positive experience in sobriety.
• Honesty. Be honest with yourself and those around you when you are feeling tempted to use. The more honest you are about your limitations, the better able you will be to make positive choices that increase your confidence and boost your ability to avoid relapse.
• Affirmations. Repeating positive phrases or quotes – your own or someone else’s – or posting them where you will see them often can help remind you why you’re working so hard.²

Stay Healthy and Strong in Recovery

Positive self-determination starts with intensive relapse prevention efforts during drug rehab. It continues when you choose aftercare treatment options that support ongoing recovery. Support groups, sober living, and other choices after addiction treatment can help you to stay focused and remain positive as you navigate the ups and downs that come with life in sobriety. Contact us at Black Bear Lodge today at 706-909-9811 and find out how we can help set you up for lasting recovery.

Sources

• ¹ Merriam Webster Dictionary. Self-Determination. Web. Retrieved 15 Dec 2017.
• ² Schlimme, J. Theory of Medical Bioethics. Feb. 2010 Feb. 31(1):49-62. Addiction and self-determination: a phenomenological approach. Web. Retrieved 15 Dec 2017.