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The Power Behind Making A Commitment

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Commitment | LakehouseRecoveryCenter.com

When you’re not committed to something, it’s not your first priority. It’s something you may think about from time to time, but it’s not your driving force. Whatever it is – it’s not your primary motivation that gets you out of the bed in the morning.

Commitment is something that drives you, pulls you, and moves you. According to an online dictionary, commitment is the state or quality of being in which you are dedicated to a cause. You might feel as though you have a responsibility, obligation, or even an allegiance to something.

Of course, if you’re a recovering addict, you might decide to make a commitment to your recovery. Yet, there’s an underlying message that this communicates. When you are committed to your recovery, you are essentially committed to yourself. For some recovering addicts, this can be difficult. Making yourself your primary responsibility might be hard. Taking good care of yourself may feel like a challenge. Knowing what to do to keep your life stable might feel difficult.

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How Cognitive Distortions Play A Role in Substance Use

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We all have thinking patterns that get in the way of our ability to see clearly. Perhaps those patterns began in childhood or maybe they were passed down to you from the ways your parents tended to think. No matter how you got them, becoming aware of them can help you stay sober. For instance, one type of cognitive distortion …

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Don’t Let Valentine’s Day Get You Down and Affect Your Sobriety

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Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, relationships, memories, and romance. It’s a day to celebrate the relationship you have with someone you love.  However, for a variety of reasons, this is a holiday that can lead to feeling depressed. It can create memory that trigger us, anxiety, and regret. Relationships Challenge Your Recovery Relationships are often a struggle. …

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Five Common Relapse Triggers

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Five Common Relapse Triggers | LakehouseRecoveryCenter.comComing home from rehab can be an exciting an empowering event but as you work to get back into the swing of life you will encounter obstacles that can trigger a relapse if not dealt with in the correct way.  Below are five common relapse triggers to watch out for.

  1. Old Places and Friends – Once you get home from rehab, it is important to continue to focus on your recovery. Being home and around old friends can remind you what times were like before rehab and this can trigger a relapse.  It is best to surround yourself by sober friends and avoid places where you used to partake in drugs or alcohol.
  2. The “Just Once” Thought – Having just once glass of wine might not seam like a big deal at first but that one glass of wine can easily turn into a full bottle of wine.  Having only a little bit of a drug or alcohol can trigger the urge to fall back into old habits.  It is important to stay in control and think about how the “just once” thought can quickly send you into relapse.
  3. Toxic Relationships – Relationships are not an easy thing for anyone but a toxic relationship can be extremely detrimental for a recovering addict.  Toxic relationships, whether it be with a roommate, boyfriend/girlfriend, or parent, can create feelings such as anger, jealousy, or depression and these feelings make it easier to relapse.  People often resort to their addiction in order to deal with these negative feelings.
  4. Unhealthy Choices – Living a healthy lifestyle can help a recovering addict stay sober.  On the other hand, constantly making unhealthy choices can be harmful.  Choices such as eating junk food, not exercising, and staying up late every night can effect your health, mood, and trigger a relapse.
  5. High Pressure Situations – Stressful situations are just a part of life.  Whether it’s enrolling for college or interviewing for a job, we can expect to feel a little more pressure than normal during these times.  The important thing for a recovering addict is to not overdue it.  Be in control and make sure you do not get to the point of feeling too much pressure that you can’t handle it.  Feeling too much pressure can turn into a relapse.

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