The Importance of a Support System During an Addict’s Recovery Journey
When a person gets into addiction, they start detaching themselves from meaningful relationships and mostly engage with other addicts or people who encourage them to stay addicted. That can make you feel like you won’t get someone to walk with you when you decide to become sober. When you make the decision to gain sobriety, doing it alone will not be easy.
The best thing you can do is to get a strong support system consisting of people who genuinely care for you. What exactly is the importance of having a support system during an addict’s recovery journey?
You’ll Surround Yourself with Sober People
Mostly, drug addicts surround themselves with other drug addicts. This makes it very difficult to get out of addiction, especially if it’s only you who’s interested in gaining sobriety. Letting go of your friends might not be easy, but you need to let them go if they don’t encourage you to recover or create triggers and environments that encourage you to go on with addiction.
When you have sober people around you, you’ll start seeing sobriety as something normal. Sober people always have fun things to do and can always tag you along. They can engage you in fun activities like watching movies or taking hikes instead of going with you to the bar.
They Offer A Listening Ear to Your Struggles
Addiction recovery can come with various struggles. Sometimes, a person feels bad for no reason. They might also find it difficult to deal with emotions since they are used to suppressing them with drugs. Anger, shame, guilt, and embarrassment may also take a toll on a person trying to recover. This can be overwhelming.
That’s why you need someone to talk to about your struggles and get some encouragement. Other people in your support system might have had similar struggles previously and can teach you strategies on how to deal with them.
However, if you don’t have people around you who can make a strong support system, you don’t have to despair. You can find a reputable addiction recovery center to enroll in. Here you’ll have addiction recovery professionals to give you all the help you need to beat your condition. You’ll also interact with other people who have the same goal as you and help each other throughout the recovery process.
They Will Help You Build Self Esteem
Drug use has been linked to causing low self-esteem, which can make recovery challenging. You may also be struggling with self-blame, which worsens the situation. While it’s prudent to take responsibility for what you did, dwelling too much on it will make recovery difficult. A strong support system will help you not dwell on your mistakes and encourage you to focus on the future.
Also, knowing that another person believes you will get out of addiction and they will do anything to help you overcome your struggles will make you believe in yourself and feel valuable. This can greatly build your self-esteem.
Some people also get into addiction due to low self-esteem, trying to suppress feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt with drugs. When such a person wants to gain sobriety and maintain it, they have to get someone to help them build their self-esteem to avoid relapse.
Addiction recovery is no easy feat. Some days will be good, while others will be challenging. You might decide to do things on your own, but there is a very high possibility of quitting along the way if you take that path. Having a strong support system can make the process manageable. Whenever you feel the urge to use drugs, you can talk to someone in your support system and tell them how you feel.
They will help you get over the temptation and remind you why you need to remain sober. However, be careful about who is in your support system. Avoid people who judge you harshly and keep on reminding you about the messes you created while in addiction.
Helpful Links
Palm Beach Needle Exchange Program
