760-216-2077
Everyone needs a little hand, now and then. When it comes to addiction and recovery, asking for help is vital. However, sometimes people find it overwhelming to ask for help. It can be humbling or induce anxiety; especially you are first getting sober. For example, you may worry that people will look at you differently if you ask for help. You may be scared they will judge you or abandon you.
Even if you’ve been sober for a while, you may struggle with asking for help. Recovery is about growth and change. You can’t do it alone, and asking for help is part of living life drug-free. With these tips, you may find it’s a little easier to reach out.
There are so many times in life where asking for help will benefit you. Whether it’s because you need to find a therapist or need help staying sober for one more day, you’re proactive about your recovery by reaching out to others. Humility can help you get through whatever your struggle is.
Here are some more tips for asking:
Recovery is always a journey, not a destination. However, many people find that they want to remain in a supportive and structured environment after treatment.
Sober living homes can help you maintain your recovery and continue to work your program as you start to take back your life. Give us a call at 760-216-2077 to learn more about how we can help!
Have you decided it’s time to spend more time on self-improvement this year? For many people in recovery, self-esteem is an ongoing issue. Many people with substance use disorders report having trouble with self-esteem. You may have struggled with it when you were younger or something in your life shook you that made it hard for you to feel good about yourself.
For some people, their self-image slowly chipped away as addiction changed them.
Whatever the case may be, there’s a good chance you can benefit from better self-esteem. Working on it slowly can help you begin to reclaim your negative thoughts about yourself and create a new narrative.
What kinds of things help you grow your sense of self-esteem? Many different activities can help! Here are some ideas for you to try to help build your confidence and feel good about yourself:
As you stay sober longer, you’ll begin to value yourself again and build a new life in recovery. In recovery you’ll learn that you’re not a bad person, just a human with flaws and feelings like everybody else.
Recovery means you’re getting better every day. Take it a day at a time! You didn’t become addicted overnight, so you’re not going to be 100% perfect with your recovery overnight. Give yourself a chance and be gentle with yourself.
Sober Living is a great way to build more confidence in yourself and your recovery. In a structured environment, you’ll learn more about how to stay sober on a daily basis. Learn more about what our sober housing offers by giving us a call at 760-216-2077.
Self-care rituals are a great way to take time to nurture yourself this winter. Whether you love the holiday season or hate it, this year will be different than most. This is especially true for people in recovery who are navigating a different world. Today, you have the tools to help you stay sober. Self-care is an important tool, especially during a stressful time such as pandemics and the holiday season.
Self-care isn’t just a buzz word. It’s an important recovery tool that can nourish your body, mind, and/or spirit. Finding things that can help provide this type of relief is important throughout recovery. Self-care rituals can be powerful tools for confidence-building and long-term sobriety.
Many people find that self-care is best as a routine or ritual. Think about it: you get up, you shower, brush your teeth, and you get dressed all to face the day. If you don’t do this ritual every day, you might feel out of step. You’ll probably feel awkward if you stop doing part of your ritual, such as brushing your teeth.
When you were active in your addiction, you probably stopped carrying out your rituals. Addiction gets in the way of life-affirming activity.
But when you are sober, your morning routine becomes a ritual you do without thinking about it too much. That’s because it helps you prepare to face the day.
These are just some ideas for getting started with your day. Planning and living with purpose is an important approach to living in recovery. You’re in charge of a lot of things, including your own actions and reactions. Work your program, and stay sober. Most likely, the best is still yet to come.
Are you or somebody you love interested in sober housing? Living among others who are also in recovery can provide a way to create new friendships and find community among others who are sober. Get in touch to learn more about our programs at 760-216-2077.
Every year, thousands of people who live in California get a DUI. It’s one of the most costly consequences of alcohol abuse, yet incredibly common. Many people in recovery initially get sober due to a DUI and stay sober because it improves their lives immensely.
For fines and court costs, California DUI fines can cost you anywhere from around $400 all the way up to $5000, depending on your conviction. Costs of a DUI can range depending on the circumstance when you were arrested. Here are a few scenarios that can impact your fines:
Aside from fines from a DUI conviction, you will probably incur other costs if you’re charged with a DUI. If you have a job, you’ll have to pay for your own attorney, which can cost upwards of $1000. You’ll probably have to pay for your own transportation on public transportation, Uber, or taxi to get to work. If you can’t pay for these things, your family may have to help you pay them, or you will stay in jail until trial.
Alcohol addiction is a serious disease that can cause a lot of wreckage in your life. You don’t have to be alone! You CAN recover and learn to thrive in a community of people focused on recovery.
Sober living is a great experience where you can make new friends with others who share your goals and understand your experiences. Our residences are located in a walkable area with plenty of transportation and access to meetings.
Learn more about our communities by calling us at 760-216-2077.
Everyone needs a friend, and as you spend more time in recovery, you’ll find you have a lot of people you call when you need support. Supporting others is an important and productive way to give in recovery.
The 12-step world can be a big second family as you start to find your way without the use of substances. The experience, stories, and support that other people share with you is essential to making your way in life. You'll end up becoming part of a support network for others, too.
As time goes on and you begin to feel more confident with your new life in recovery, you’ll want to be able to give back to others. Supporting others is a great way to do that. But how can you make sure you’re doing it in a healthy way.
You’ll want to be cautious as well as supportive if the person you’re trying to help as been sober less time than you.
Make sure you set healthy boundaries in your friendships. If you become friends with somebody who does risky things, be wary. A friend who is in relapse mode may end up trying to take somebody with them. Offer to be a shoulder or a ride to a meeting, but never put yourself in a situation where you’ll be around drugs or drug users.
Let people call you, but if you can’t take calls at work, don’t. Turn off your phone if you’re sleeping or at work. Let new friends know which hours are best, and it’s okay to send a text message to you.
If you become friends with the opposite sex, be aware that there may be complications. 12-step programs often warn newcomers from getting into any romantic (or potentially romantic) relationships within the first year of recovery. Relationships can be thorny and complicated. When you care for somebody romantic, you won’t be able to focus on your own recovery. Take some time to get to know yourself.
You may want to limit your outings to groups of people, or “guy’s night” outings rather than spend time alone with the opposite sex. Most of all, try to make friends with people who have been clean and sober longer than you. Don’t surround yourself with newcomers. You need other people with more experience for support, too.
If you’re looking for an excellent place to take your time transitioning to “regular life,” sober living may be the right choice for you. In sober housing, you’ll learn to stand on your own two feet while living among others working on their personal goals in recovery. You’ll have space, structure, and support to help you continue the journey. Call us at 760-216-2077 to learn more about your options.
Are you defeating yourself with negative self-talk? Self-talk is the conversation you have within your head. Everyone has an “inner voice” that provides a narrative in daily life. For people in recovery, this voice can be detrimental. After all, when you arrive at drug and alcohol treatment or go through detox, you go through a lot of pain. Many people in recovery feel hopeless, sad, or fearful. The good news is that these feelings are just that, feelings. They’re not facts about what’s going on right now.
Changing your self-talk will help you live on a day-to-day basis rather than feeling bad and beating yourself up. (And will help prevent your mood from going from bad to worse.) Positive self-talk can also provide you with some great benefits.
Self-talk reveals a lot of information about how a person may feel about themselves. You may suffer from low self-esteem or guilt. Or maybe you’ve let yourself and others down in the past. Maybe you simply think you’re no good at anything because that’s what somebody told you in the past. Here are a few examples of negative self-talk:
Negative self-talk is how you reinforce negative beliefs about yourself. It’s not useful, and it’s really not an accurate reflection of who you are. After all, you are changing all the time in recovery.
Many people in recovery find new ways to change their self-talk as time goes on. The first step is that you need to recognize when it’s happening. Try wearing a rubber band around your wrist and snapping it every time you start thinking negative thoughts. Write down what you were thinking in a journal every time you’re feeling negative.
Once you know the negative thought you’re thinking, it’s time to think about examples of when you felt good about yourself. If you believe you are stupid, then how did you get an A in College Algebra? If nobody wants to hear what you have to say, then why were you invited to speak in the first place?
Trying writing down ideas that counter your negative thoughts onto note cards. Write them in affirmation-style.
If you need help writing affirmations, ask a therapist or your sponsor for more ideas. Affirmations can help you work on focusing on your strengths and believing in yourself. Try using them at least once a day, and pulling them out when you’re thinking negative thoughts.
Are you looking for sober living in the San Diego, California, area? Our programs are a great launchpad for people new to recovery who need time to transition to daily life. We offer options for housing and aftercare. Call to hear more about how we can help you by calling 760-216-2077.
Addiction is a family disease and affects more people than the addicted person probably realizes. Friends, spouses, parents, and children all may have struggles related to their loved one’s addiction.
When a person gets clean, their families go through several emotions just like they do. There are also a lot of fears and unresolved feelings caused by the addiction that need to be resolved. Families can play a large part in the recovery of a person with a substance use disorder. At the same time, they probably have a lot of questions and concerns about their loved one’s recovery.
A person with an addiction needs to focus on themselves and their recovery. Making amends and gaining trust back can’t happen overnight, just like addiction didn’t happen at night. Family members can’t fix an addicted person, and an addicted person can’t fix their family.
If you’re somebody whose loved one is struggling with addiction and recovery; there are resources available. They may include:
If you’re a loved one of somebody in recovery, accept help when it’s offered. You are not alone, and you, too, are worthy of love and empathy. Make sure that you take time for yourself. You can’t help anyone else if you’re not also helping yourself.
After drug treatment, many people in recovery choose to transition to sober living homes. Living with other people who have the same goals can help quell your anxiety and gain confidence when you’re new to recovery. Learn more about your sober living options and how we can help by calling us at 760-216-2077.
