Recovering from addiction is hard enough without sabotaging yourself. Most people sabotage themselves in some way but no one does it on purpose. They often internalize behaviors they learned from their parents and friends or they develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. Wherever these roadblocks come from, it’s important to be aware of them and remove them as soon as possible.
Negativity
Negativity is one of the most common roadblocks. Negativity can come from many places, such as internalized criticism, self-defense, or negative experiences. Often, negativity is perpetuated by distorted thinking. So, for example, something you do doesn’t come out the way you hoped, so you think, “I can’t do anything right.” In reality, you probably do plenty of things right but you’ve generalized one failure for everything. A big part of cognitive behavioral therapy, the most common form of psychotherapy currently in use, is recognizing and challenging these distorted thoughts that lead to negativity.
Hanging out with the wrong people
The people we spend time with influences our behavior more than we like to admit. We like to think that we think for ourselves and make our own decisions but we’re always subtly influenced by the people around us. If you’re spending time around people who drink and use drugs, it’s going to be much harder to stay sober. Everyone likes to think he’s an exception to this rule but chances are that he’s not.
Not taking care of yourself
Self-care is one of the most important aspects of recovering from addiction. The idea is simple: when you are healthy, you feel better and you think better. Self-care primarily means eating healthy food, exercising daily, and getting plenty of sleep. Those are the absolute basics. It’s also important to spend time around supportive people and to make a little time each day to relax and do things you enjoy. Lack of self-care is one of the first warning signs that you may be heading for a relapse and it’s also the thing you have the most control over.
Bottling up emotions
Bottling up emotions is another early sign that you’re heading toward a relapse. It suggests you’re not connecting with people who listen to you. Instead, you may be ruminating on your problems, which studies show increases your risk of anxiety and depression. Bottling up emotions also leads to resentment. It’s crucial to learn to express your emotions in a constructive way if you want your recovery to last.
Refusing help
Finally, it’s important to accept that recovery from addiction is a group effort. No one succeeds for long on his own. Men are typically conditioned from a young age to be independent and self-reliant. Men feel like they should be able to take care of their own problems. However, that’s not how addiction recovery works. You need to learn to rely on others and support others when they need it.
Tree House Recovery of Portland, Oregon uses cutting-edge techniques in individualized programs to help men achieve freedom from addiction. Taking a holistic, sustainable approach to the inner and outer effects of addiction ensures you or your loved one will emerge with the confidence and skills to manage your addiction independently. No one is beyond help- our Admissions Counselors are available 24/7 at (503) 850-2474