3 Daily Strategies to Help You Maintain Your Sobriety
By Kimberly Hayes

When you’ve overcome addiction and are working toward maintaining your sobriety, there are tips and strategies that can help you stay the course. Whether you’re facing issues at work or you’re dealing with difficult people, the Nobelia.org Self-Discovery Project supports your path. Here are three things you can do so you won’t compromise your progress or put yourself in harm’s way.

1. Start Your Mornings With a Healthy Routine

Enjoying a healthy breakfast will help you face the day ahead by giving you plenty of energy. Control your blood sugar to boost your mood and increase concentration by eating a variety of foods like eggs, cottage cheese, oatmeal, nuts, and berries. And make sure to include protein, fiber, and fruits or veggies each morning for gut health and overall wellbeing.

Incorporate meditation into your morning routine, or begin a gratitude journal to help you stay on track. You may even want to digitize your journal so that you can store it securely and reflect on it later. This may work to convert your Word files to PDFs, which are easily encrypted. You can also convert them back if you want to add or change anything, but the encryption will keep anyone else from reading your private thoughts.

Avoiding bad news on TV, on the radio, or on social media as soon as you wake up can also help you feel more positive about yourself and your progress. That may mean unfollowing or completely cutting ties with a toxic friend who brings you down or makes you feel “less-than” every time you read or hear about their latest activities.

2. Work Out for Your Physical and Mental Wellbeing

Sticking to a fitness routine is a proven way to keep you steady on your recovery journey. Exercise will help you maintain a healthy weight while improving your mood as well as the quality of your sleep.

Keep yourself accountable by signing up for a fitness class or joining an amateur team to play a sport you like. Spending time with a new set of individuals can help you maintain your sobriety. Developing and sustaining new friendships with teammates and exercise partners will lead to enjoying new activities that don’t include drugs and alcohol. Work toward a fitness goal on your own or with a team, and celebrate milestones and victories with healthy smoothies and snacks.

Additionally, whether you take the dog out for a walk or you just sit on your balcony for a few minutes, try to catch some sun every day to boost your immune system and prevent anxiety and depression.

3. Stay Away from Drinking Culture

Even though some think of it as a nice way to unwind after a long day at work, indulging in an alcoholic beverage or two before bedtime can have negative consequences on your mental and physical health. In fact, alcohol is classified as a depressant, its consumption leads to mood swings, and it can seriously impair your judgment.

But in a world where drinking is seen as a bonding activity, such as on college campuses and even during office parties, how can you maintain your sobriety without looking like a huge party-pooper? Wisdom would recommend avoiding the situation altogether, but we all know that isn’t always possible. Keeping a non-alcoholic beverage in your hand during the event will help you stay away from the boozy offerings at the bar.

Also, seek out other people in the room that aren’t consuming alcohol, and find strength in numbers. And when you just want to relax at home after a hard day at the office, opt for a cup of herbal tea and a favorite inspirational book to help you decompress.

Make a Plan to Prioritize Your Health and Sobriety

Make your sobriety a priority, and take care of your emotional, mental, and physical health to keep you on the right path. A balanced diet and regular exercise will help you stay focused and make the right decisions for yourself. Find a new group of friends to support and encourage you, and live your life to the fullest!

#Sobriety #Addiction #Recovery #MaintainingSobriety