After successfully completing a treatment program, the next challenge is to successfully maintain a sober life. Because rebuilding relationships with loved ones can be difficult and often requires patience and dedication, it’s natural for individuals to seek love and approval elsewhere. However, it’s important for recovering addicts to avoid establishing any romantic relationships for at least six months to one year. Understanding some of the reasons why it’s important to avoid romantic relationships right after recovery will help individuals make healthier lifestyle choices that will benefit them in the future.
Reasons to Avoid Dating Right After Recovery
Individuals risk becoming codependent on their partners when they rush into relationships immediately following recovery, which is why it’s important for them to give themselves enough time to adjust to an independent sober life. Codependency eventually leads to relationship addiction, which breeds the same symptoms of drug or alcohol addiction. Codependent relationships can become one-sided, abusive, and emotionally damaging.
It’s also important for recovering addicts to avoid dating other recovering addicts, especially fellow members at a treatment facility. When two individuals are recovering together, the risk of relapse is high, which means if one person relapses the other person is sure to do so as well.
The first six months to a year of maintaining sobriety is often a challenge, but it’s possible. Remaining sober requires a high level of commitment, which means individuals will have to avoid putting themselves in situations that could trigger a relapse. For example, recovering addicts may have to leave social gatherings early, or avoid going to parties, bars, and clubs altogether. They may be called the ‘boring’ one out of their group of friends or family members. However, it’s important not to succumb to outside pressure. Doing so will give individuals the opportunity to build trust within themselves and prove to themselves that they have willpower and discipline. This will also keep them clear-minded and able to recognize any red flags within their own behavior and the behavior of others around them. They’ll learn their trigger points, and they’ll even learn how to live independently without being dependent on another person’s presence in an attempt to fill their own void.
Because substance abuse alters how individuals perceive themselves and the world around them, oftentimes during recovery they realize that have no idea who they are. This is another reason why individuals should avoid dating immediately following recovery. They need time to get to know themselves and discover their preferences and desires before getting involved in another person’s life.
Alternative Treatment Centers in Tennessee
If you have a loved one who is suffering from substance abuse disorder, enrolling them in an alternative treatment center may be the best option for their long-lasting recovery. At Discovery Place, we offer different treatment programs to assist individuals with their recovery journeys. Some of our services include a 30-Day Alternative Residential Addiction Recovery Program and a Long-Term Alternative Addiction Recovery Program. If you would like more information about our facility, call us to schedule a free consultation at (800) 725-0922.
