For your convenience, the team at Waypoint Recovery Center‘s South Carolina drug and alcohol addiction treatment program has put together this list of fun and unique date ideas in Charleston County. Whether you’re planning a first date or are currently in a long-term relationship, these sober date ideas are sure to please.
When you are struggling with cravings, it is important to realize that thoughts of substance abuse do not have to lead to actions. Reaching out to a sponsor or distracting yourself with a fun activity are two of the most commonly recommended tactics for dealing with cravings. Urge surfing, a type of mindfulness meditation, is another strategy you may also wish to try.
In recovery, cravings are defined as intense desires or urges for drugs or alcohol. Cravings are most common in the early stages of recovery but can be experienced even after a person has been sober for several months.
The recovery journey is full of ups and downs. If you’ve relapsed, you may be worried about what the future holds. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re not cut out for a sober life. There’s always hope for recovery—as long as you remain committed to getting the addiction treatment you need.
Many people use the terms slip and relapse interchangeably, but these terms actually refer to two entirely different situations. Someone experiencing a slip quickly realizes the error of their ways and takes steps to get back on track. In comparison, someone experiencing a relapse has abandoned their recovery efforts entirely.
One common fear that people have when they enter a recovery program is that life without drugs and alcohol will be boring and uneventful. Luckily, this couldn’t be further from the truth!
It may take some time to get used to your new routine, but there are plenty of ways to stay busy in recovery. In fact, you’re likely to find that your sober life is richer and more exciting than you ever could have imagined.
Waypoint Recovery Center’s South Carolina residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment program provides evidence-based care and holistic support to men and women struggling with substance use disorders. Our programs help you build the skills necessary for a sober life, but we understand that graduating from residential treatment can leave you feeling uncertain about what the future will hold.
We provide each client who graduates from residential treatment with a continuum of care plan that includes referrals to appropriate treatment resources in their community. However, the following six tips can also help you ease the transition back to independent living.
There’s more to recovery than simply abstaining from drugs or alcohol. If you don’t address the underlying factors that contributed to the development of your substance use disorder, you risk relapsing or developing a substitute addiction.
Just like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, substitute addictions don’t discriminate based on age, race, gender, or socio-economic status. However, you may be more at risk of developing a substitute addiction if you are impulsive, sensation seeking, and non-conforming. People who have co-occurring mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety may also be especially vulnerable to developing a substitute addiction.
Addiction touches the lives of everyone, including young children. In fact, it’s estimated that about 25% of children under 18 will experience the effects of a family member’s drug or alcohol addiction at some point.
Parents and caregivers often avoid talking about substance abuse with young children in an attempt to protect them, but this approach can backfire. When a child doesn’t understand why a parent, grandparent, older sibling, or loved one can’t simply stop using drugs or alcohol, this can lead to feelings of fear, guilt, anxiety, and shame. These feelings can cause problems in school, social isolation, and an increased risk of developing a substance use disorder as a teen or young adult.
Marriage is never easy, but living with a spouse’s addiction can be extremely difficult. Your spouse may be acting like an entirely different person, and you may feel lost with nowhere to turn.
Although there’s no quick fix for addiction, there’s always hope for recovery. Whether you’re trying to convince your spouse to seek treatment or you’re adjusting to life after he or she has completed residential care, there are several things you can do to support the recovery process.