Maintaining Your Emotional Sobriety

Though everyone in recovery from drug and alcohol misuse hopes to maintain a lifestyle that is free of the debilitating effects of their substance of choice, some people lose sight of the emotional part of the equation. Your goal in recovery should be to achieve not only physical sobriety, but emotional sobriety – the ability to live a satisfying and productive substance-free life.

What Is Emotional Sobriety?

Physical sobriety means learning to live without drugs and alcohol. Though it can present several roadblocks, the path itself is relatively straightforward. Achieving emotional sobriety is somewhat more challenging because it involves the ability to face your feelings, particularly those connected to drug and alcohol use.

Everyone relies on specific coping mechanisms to help them deal with realities that are otherwise painful or uncomfortable to confront. People who become addicted to drugs and alcohol begin to find solace in these substances, instead of relying on healthier outlets. As a result, addicts become experts at numbing their feelings instead of facing up to them and dealing with them as they arise. Becoming emotionally sober means learning how to reconnect with your emotions and allowing yourself to fully feel them again.

Initially, you may feel as if drug or alcohol detox is the most challenging part of your recovery. However, learning to process your emotions in a healthy way can be an even more significant hurdle in the long run if you have become accustomed to masking your feelings with chemical dependency.

Achieving Emotional Sobriety

All addiction rehab should involve some element of emotional sobriety. Though your goal in recovery should be an overall sense of happiness, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed if you are having an off day. Rather, emotional sobriety is about being present in the moment, finding your true self and accessing all your feelings, regardless of whether those are good or bad.

Emotional sobriety has a different meaning for everyone in recovery; however, it generally boils down to:

• Maintaining a healthy emotional balance
• Accepting reality as it is
• Letting go of the past
• Not worrying about what might happen in the future

Achieving harmony and balance in your life involves learning how to leverage proven therapies to process emotions and learn healthy coping mechanisms. Addiction treatment offers many beneficial therapeutic approaches, such as:

• Life coaching
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Yoga and meditation
• Individual and group counseling

Find Your Emotional Center

If you achieve physical sobriety but never work on confronting your feelings, you are putting yourself at higher risk of a relapse. Accepting that addiction recovery is a lifelong process can help shift your focus. Although you may experience occasional setbacks, stick to the goals of living in the moment and maintaining control of your emotions. Give yourself permission to embrace whatever you are feeling without judging yourself harshly.

Hope Academy offers a program tailored specifically to help young adults achieve lifelong freedom from chemical dependency and lay the foundation for the rest of their lives. We provide much-needed structure and guidance for young adults and college-aged students who are entering into adulthood and have lost focus on a healthy mindset. Contact us today for young adult addiction treatment in California.

Sober Hobbies to Help You De-stress

Finding a healthy way to deal with stress – both during college and as you embark on your sober future  – is a key component of recovery. Here are a number of sober hobbies that have been scientifically backed to help relieve tension and help you relax. Try one (or a few) and see what works for you. 

• Yoga: Sure, this might be an obvious choice, but it’s a proven one. Yoga teaches us to use the power of breath to stay calm. This ancient practice has also been linked do a reduction of levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and symptoms of anxiety and depression. 
• Coloring and drawing: Whether you invest in an adult coloring book and fancy pencils or spend a few dollars on some white paper and crayons, coloring and drawing is a great relaxation technique that can help you stay in the moment and stay calm. 
• Writing: Journaling or expressing your thoughts and emotions via writing is a proven way to identify any stressors and then let them go. Try it: Take 15 minutes each day and write freely without censoring yourself. 
• Reading: Getting lost in a good book is a great way to escape from the stressors of daily life. Studies show that reading can help to lower your heart rate and ease tension in your muscles.
• Gardening: Digging in the dirt can lower your stress hormones, improve your mood and keep you in the moment. What’s more, being outside in the fresh air and sunshine can boost these effects even more.
• Hiking: Similarly, enjoying the great outdoors and nature via hiking can help reduce stress and help reduce rumination, or obsessing over negative thoughts. And since hiking is an aerobic exercise, you’ll also benefit from the feel-good endorphins released in your body. 

Finding Emotional Support at Hope Academy

A host of emotions inevitably arise as you begin working toward your sobriety goals. The professionals at Hope Academy can teach you to manage these feelings without resorting to substance abuse. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.