2019 is here and with the new year comes an opportunity to commit ourselves to living the best lives possible. The strategies you learn in treatment for managing addiction are not just about maintaining abstinence; they’re about living a fuller life. Substance use is just one way of coping with pain, stress, uncertainty, trauma, and anxiety, and it’s one that limits the scope of your experience. Effective treatment is about giving you the tools to deal with adversity, and not only survive it, but grow from it. With that in mind, here are some ways the strategies you learned in treatment can help you live a better life in 2019.

You can change your life.

So much pain and frustration is caused by feeling like you have no control over your life. Many people develop addictions as a way of trying to assert some control over their inner lives. They want to escape the pain caused by trauma, abuse, shame, or neglect and end up trapped in a cycle of substance use. However, if treatment proves anything, it’s that you can take action to change your life. Addiction is by far the biggest challenge most people will ever face, and if you can overcome that, you can overcome anything. You just have to try, even if you’re not sure you can succeed.

Physical health is the foundation of mental health.

Your body and mind are not separate, but rather interconnected in many ways. While it’s sometimes very hard to control what goes on in our minds, we can usually control what we do with our bodies. When you feel anxious or depressed, you can go for a run, or hit the gym and your state of mind will change completely. Unfortunately, it’s too easy to let life get in the way of our health. Eating well and exercising take discipline. Right now, at the beginning of the year, renew your commitment to taking care of yourself and keeping your mind healthy by keeping your body healthy.

We’re stronger together.

In many ways, addiction is a disease of loneliness and the cure is connection. Supporting, trusting, and cooperating with one another fulfills a deep human need and makes each of us feel more whole. It also makes us stronger. No one does anything great alone. This year, commit to cultivating great relationships through trust, honesty, and compassion. Be willing to help others and, equally important, let them help you.

Never give up.

No matter what you do, if you try anything worthwhile this year, you’re going to have setbacks. The path to success is never straight. There will be times when you feel like you’ve failed completely, but you haven’t failed until you give up.

Tree House Recovery is a men’s treatment program located in Portland, Oregon. Creating sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men learn how to live sober with adventurous lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474