Prior to recovery, most people with substance use disorders become quite adept at using drugs or alcohol to numb themselves from their emotions. Using helps protect them from feeling pain, heartbreak, fear, or disappointment – at least temporarily. That’s why a lot of people start using in the first place.
Our addiction may help us to not feel emotions that are painful to experience, but it also prevents us from repairing the emotional damage so we can move forward. Recovery gives us the opportunity to finally address our past traumas and other negative emotions in healthier ways, so we can achieve emotional sobriety.
A Daily Effort
There are many steps you can take on a daily basis to maintain emotional sobriety, but it’s important to acknowledge that there are going to be moments when you don’t want to – but you must do it anyway. When you’re having a great day, it’s going to be easier than ever to apply what you’ve learned in treatment to your daily life.
Your mind, body, and spirit will be open and willing to do what you need to for healthy living. It’s when you’re having a bad day – a day when you’re in a bad mood, you’re tired or stressed, or you don’t want to do anything – that you also need to apply what you’ve learned in treatment. This is where the practice of emotional sobriety can provide you with the most growth.
A New Way of Thinking
Emotional sobriety entails catching yourself when you find that you’re spiraling – and stopping yourself by examining what thoughts you’re currently having and what you need to do next to help yourself work through this moment. Much of the mental and emotional processing involved with this includes changing your thought patterns to be more productive for your recovery. It’s easy to immediately react to situations, people, or emotions. Emotional sobriety takes maturity and a willingness to step back and see the bigger picture at hand.
One technique for emotional sobriety is making a conscious effort to think about your thoughts rather than quickly acting on them. Instead of reacting quickly if you’re in an emotional state, you must step back and think more critically and logically to make choices that are best for your recovery journey. There are numerous therapies that can help with this process. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on teaching how to change old, negative thought patterns and replace them with newer, more productive ones.
Ask for Help
If you’re ready to seek help, speak with a professional from Alta Loma today.
Alta Loma is designed as a solution for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders who may not have found success at other traditional treatment programs. Our residents can relax in the confidence that every aspect contributing to their mental health and sobriety will be answered, making their time at Alta Loma truly uplifting and productive. Call us today at (866) 457-3843.
