Continue reading to discover different types of coping skills for addiction and how expert rehabilitation centers can assist you in developing them for long-term recovery.
The Importance of Coping Skills
The goal is the same, and the brain processing is the same, regardless of which healthy coping skills for substance abuse people in recovery use. It is critical to develop positive coping mechanisms for mental health to interrupt the addictive cycle. In times of crisis, the right coping skills can assist us in managing life’s ups and downs and preventing minor setbacks from becoming major.
When you’re under a lot of stress or strain, engaging in habits that make you feel better is natural. Emotions can be tough to control. Coping skills for addiction, or addictive behavior, can aid in regulating these emotions.
These coping skills for addiction can help you acquire confidence in yourself, your abilities, and your capabilities.For example, you could substitute exercise or creative activities for gambling or substance abuse. Seeing improvements in your body or creative work might make you feel better about yourself.
Furthermore, coping skills lead to connection with others, such as going to the gym or joining a club, where you can meet new people and form new relationships.
These coping skills for substance abuse can help you respond to negative emotions or experiences more effectively over time. You’ll find it easier to address things head-on rather than avoid them. Aside from developing resilience, you will acquire confidence in your capacity to deal with stress and may even be able to assist others in need.
Exploring Coping Mechanisms
Learning healthy coping techniques can help you break free from addiction and enjoy long-term recovery.
Everyone’s addiction narrative is unique, with a varied history of drug and alcohol use. It’s all about figuring out which addiction coping mechanisms for addiction work best for you and your recovery path.
SOBER Breathing Technique
Anxiety and stress can be significant triggers in the recovery process. If you don’t have coping skills for addiction, such as SOBER breathing, to deal with these triggers, you can turn to drugs and alcohol instead.
When you’re stressed or worried, your breathing becomes restricted, as does the oxygen in your body. This reaction to stress impacts your mind, body, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, frequently impairing your cognitive process. Slowing your breathing helps to balance your oxygen and blood flow, lowering stress on the body and giving you the mental space to process your surroundings and emotions.
The acronym is as follows:
S – Stop: If you recognize yourself to be in a stressful situation or your thoughts are spiraling, stop engaging. Take a step back, walk away, or focus on the steps of SOBER breathing to get some distance. Recognizing when you need to Stop is the hardest step, but as you practice SOBER breathing, it’ll eventually become like second nature to recognize your symptoms of being over-stressed.
O – Observe: Take stock of your environment. Focus on solid things you can perceive and ground yourself in the space. If something in the area triggers you, return to Stop and gain more distance before Observing again. A good trick for this is to pick a color, look around, and name to yourself everything you can see in that color.
B – Breathe gently through your nose and hold for 3-5 seconds, then gently exhale through your mouth and hold for 3-5 seconds before inhaling again. Repeat 5-10 times. If you find yourself holding your breath for too short a period, a tip for this is to count your heartbeats instead of the seconds. As you calm down, your heart rate will slow with your breathing.
E – Evaluate: if someone asked you what you’re feeling right now, what would be your response? Angry? Upset? Anxious? What is making you feel that way? Remember that this step is not about “solving” how you feel but recognizing your feelings and understanding why you feel that way so you can then…
R – Respond. Don’t react to the situation, respond. Addictive behavior and decisions often are reactions to stressful or overwhelming situations or emotions. By stepping back and recognizing the root of your emotions, you empower yourself to decide how to respond instead of letting addiction react for you.
Create a Daily Routine
Drug abuse disrupts a person’s life, frequently resulting in elevated tension and worry levels. Developing a regular daily schedule is vital to deal with cravings. Having a daily structure to rely on builds a mental foundation to frame the rest of your day and choices.
Don’t plan out every minute, but create a morning routine that works for you: pick your favorite gum to chew after lunch, choose a new TV show and watch one new episode a day, or call a friend or family member at a specific time each day to catch up. Choose routines that you will stick to and that serve a purpose.
Having a regular schedule provides a vital structure to life. That way, even if stressful situations arise, you have points throughout your day that are familiar and easy to fall back on to provide some relief. Having these moments to rely on makes it easier to maintain equilibrium and deal with little problems as they arise.
Use your free time to learn new skills, travel or explore, participate in sports, or pick a class that interests you. Keeping your schedule full of positive activities helps to keep you active, interested, and away from drinking or drugs.
Reward Progress
Reward yourself when you complete a regular goal, such as attending recovery meetings for four weeks in a row or lasting three months without drinking. Consider something distinct yet not extravagant. Make plans to go out to dinner with a friend. Get a massage or shop for new clothing. Stay in bed for the entire afternoon and watch a movie marathon.
Whatever it is, make the most of the support you are providing yourself. These occasional rewards while practicing coping skills for addiction can help to break up the long road to recovery into manageable, pleasurable bits.
Seek Rehabilitation
Whether you’re trying to get sober or are already in treatment, staying active and invested in coping skills for substance abuse is critical. Rehab can provide you with resources to help you further develop an arsenal of coping skills in recovery and direct you to our treatment choices.
However, counseling following treatment is also essential. Discussing your recovery challenges with a mental health expert will relieve some of your burdens.
Build a durable support system during your participation in a recovery program. A solid support system of sober, like-minded friends can help you remain on track and hold you accountable.
Why Choose Best Rehabs For Your Journey to Recovery?
Coping skills for substance abuse and addiction can help you regain control of your life, health, and happiness. Since each person’s route to recovery is unique, a combination of addiction coping techniques that work for you will have the most impact.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the variety of coping strategies for addiction available, consider them as a toolkit of well-maintained tools you keep with you so that, should the need arise, you’ll be ready to utilize them to fend off temptation and uncertainty.
At Best Rehabs, we can assist you in developing new coping strategies that you can use after treatment. We offer support groups, behavioral therapies, counseling, and other forms of assistance.
Contact our team today to learn coping strategies for addiction that will help you succeed in your recovery.
