After leaving rehab, you will have to begin the process of readjusting to life while sober. Before attending rehab, you may have fractured many close relationships due to your active addiction, and this realization may leave you feeling deflated, lost, and alone. You may also have felt distrustful of others while abusing substances. This could leave you feeling somewhat confused about relationships in general.
However, the good news is that you can gradually regain trust in those. The key is to be consistent, patient, and put in the work. Taking responsibility for your past will help you grow in the future. In doing so, those around you will start to believe in you again. Stick at it as the rewards will be fantastic.
How Can I Rebuild Trust With a Loved One?
Often, when someone doesn’t trust you, you also don’t trust yourself. If your actions were inconsistent, deceitful, and unpredictable in the past, you might not have been able to trust yourself to stick to your word. Driven by your addiction, you may have broken a bond of trust deep within yourself. Fortunately, there are many ways to rebuild this, which will simultaneously help others to trust you again.
Here are some ideas for rebuilding trust.
Fulfill Commitments
One of the most important things you should do to rebuild trust with a loved one is to stick to your word and keep the promises you make. If commitment is lacking, it will be difficult for people to trust you.
If you say you will meet a loved one once a week for a walk, make sure you follow through with this. Likewise, if you say you will attend appointments on time, make sure you do.
Do everything possible to prove that you are willing to change and are one hundred percent invested in being sober and regaining the trust of those around you.
Sticking with this will also prove to yourself that you are serious about establishing a positive future. This will leave you feeling good and improve your self-confidence and happiness.
Establish a Healthy Routine
Implementing a healthy routine into your daily life will help improve your physical and mental health and prove to those around you that you are dedicated to your sobriety.
Some things to try could be:
- Exercising
- Attending twelve-step meetings
- Completing treatment programs
- Attending individual or group therapy
- Having a healthy diet
- Journaling
- Having a regular sleep schedule
Incorporating some of the above will help you establish a healthy routine. Gradually, others will see the positive changes you are making and will begin to believe in you and trust you again.
Open Communication
As hard as it may be, try not to shy away from communicating with loved ones. During your addiction, you may have hidden things from people and withdrawn from friends, family members, or a partner to maintain your addiction.
Sadly, shutting a loved one out and reducing communication with them will cause them to worry about you and your safety. They may also become suspicious of your behavior. This is why it is so important to communicate regularly and honestly so that you can stay connected to one another and support each other.
If people feel like they are being kept in the dark, it will be hard for them to trust you. With this in mind, although it may feel intimidating, try to contact friends and family regularly and have honest conversations with them.
Be Patient
If you don’t see results quickly, that’s normal! Keep in mind that rebuilding trust is a lengthy process and will take time and effort. However, slowly but surely, the trust will start to reappear.
Replacing memories and feelings of hurt with proof that you have changed will not happen overnight. Likewise, feeling comfortable around each other will not be instantaneous. However, have faith in the process, and others will have faith in you. Slowly proving that you can change will show others that you are dedicated to beating your addiction. Keeping commitments will show that you are willing to improve and able to be trusted once again.
If you or a loved one needs help with addiction, contact us at Discovery Place.
