Integrating recovery and everyday life can be challenging. It is a journey of personal growth that requires you to leave behind past habits and build up new healthy ones.

When you were struggling with addiction, you probably spent a lot of time hiding your addictive behavior and substance abuse and denying to yourself and your loved ones that you had a problem. In recovery, you need to learn to be open and honest about your feelings.

Why Is Honest Communication Important in Recovery?

Communicating honestly with friends and loved ones is fundamental to staying sober in the long term. Addiction is a chronic disease caused by changes in the brain that may result in strong urges to use a substance even after addiction treatment and long periods of abstinence. These urges can be hard to resist, and you may need the support of others to overcome them.

Talking about the urges and challenges you face allows people around you to support you and help you develop strategies to maintain your sobriety. This might involve helping you remove certain triggers from your environment, taking you out for a walk as a distraction, offering encouraging and motivational words, or sharing experiences. Either way, research suggests that peer support substantially reduces relapse rates and increases self-determination among people in recovery.

Who Can I Ask for Help in Recovery?

If you are facing a challenge in your recovery journey, there are many people you can turn to for help. You may want to talk to someone you met at a support group meeting or share your feelings with the group as a whole. Speaking with people from the fellowship and others in recovery can be an invaluable source of support – they may share the same experiences as you and can offer a deep level of understanding.

If you are still attending outpatient treatment or seeing a therapist or counselor, you can speak with them too. They will help you work through the issues you are facing and develop the skills to overcome them.

You can also ask friends, loved ones, and other people you trust for help. Even if they have had no experience of addiction, they can provide a listening ear and help you make sense of your journey ahead.

When Should I Speak to a Professional?

Early recovery is challenging, and it is normal to experience low moods or worry for short periods. Sometimes the journey ahead can feel long and overwhelming, and it can be difficult to find your feet and develop new passions in sober life. Friends, family, and other support networks can help during these times.

However, if you are experiencing longer periods of anxiety, low mood, mood swings, or other signs of poor mental health, you should speak to a medical professional. You may need to see a licensed therapist to help you maintain good mental health and live the joyful and productive life you deserve.

Looking after your mental health also helps you stay away from substance abuse – almost half of people with a substance use disorder also suffer from an underlying mental disorder, and feelings of depression and anxiety are a common reason people turn back to drugs.

Why Are Boundaries Important?

While honest communication is a fundamental part of all relationships, you don’t need to tell everyone everything. Understanding when sharing a story with someone may not be appropriate is a key part of building strong relationships with healthy boundaries.

If a friend or loved one has signaled to you that they are not in a place to hear your problems right now, try to speak to someone else about it. Respecting their boundaries in this way will help you maintain a supportive friendship in the long run.

You also may want to avoid off-loading on people who may worry excessively about you but are unable to offer the support you need at that moment – your parents may not want to hear that you dreamt about drugs the night before, for example. That said, everyone’s relationships are different – and you are best placed to judge the balance between respecting others’ boundaries and receiving the support and help you need.

Testimonials

  • Discovery Place was the answer for my son. He did the 90 day and then the step down program and sober living. We give this organization 10 stars. They met my son where he was …emotionally, mentally, physically. They helped him put his life back on track. Discovery Place employees care about their guests. If your son, brother, nephew, grandson or husband needs excellent supportive care THIS is indeed the facility.

    Kim Morton
    Alumni Parent
  • I have remained sober and it is because of DP. DP is the best place there is, hands down. I keep everyone there in my prayers, and I encourage everyone there to take what they are practicing and do it in their lives, after.

    Roy Mantelli
    Alumni
  • Over the past year, I’ve been putting into actin what Discovery Place taught me, and I have experienced a complete perspective change of the world, and the people in it. I get to be a man of service and love today, and for that I am grateful to Discovery Place.

    Matt Kassay
    Alumni
  • Discovery Place means the world to me. They showed me the tools that I’ve tried to use everyday in my life to think less often of myself, and more frequently of others. I am learning to lend a hand when I am able and to have a honest and humble relationship with God and the people around me. Not only am I clean and sober, but also I am happy and fulfilled.

    Tommy Parker
    Alumni
  • Discovery Place and the men who work there made recovery attractive, and more importantly, fun. There is strength in the struggle. I am forever grateful for my time at Discovery Place.

    Creed McClellan
    Alumni
  • When I got to Discovery Place my whole life was in shambles, but I didn’t know it. I spent 6 months in their programs, participating in all three phases, and was met with kindness and love all along the way. It is unbelievable to me, where I am now relative to where I was when I arrived at DP.

    Lance Duke
    Alumni
  • I can never say enough good things about Discovery Place and the people who work there. Before checking in to DP, I was out of options and out of answers. Fortunately, Discovery Place has a solution. Taking suggestions from the staff at DP saved my life, and as a result, I’m now more content and hopeful about life. I’m grateful for Discovery Place showing me how to live a healthy life so that I can become a better man and help the next guy.”

    Tyler Buckingham
    Alumni

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