Recovery can seem like a minefield. You never know what triggers might be lurking around the corner, sending you back to that place where your preferred brand of high is all you can think about. The smell of booze, the sight of someone smoking, a discarded syringe, a commercial for prescription medication – any of these things can send a person to the edge of relapse. Unfortunately, the people around you can be just as much of a problem as the drugs or alcohol themselves.
It’s not a good idea to spend time with people associated with past drug use. You’re probably going to want to stay as far away from your dealer as possible – after all, you’re just a business proposition as far as he’s concerned. It’s in his best interest to convince you to start using again. People who you used to do drugs with can be just as dangerous, as they’re likely to try to peer pressure you into hanging out and having “just one” hit, or to convince you that life was more fun before you got clean.
There are other people who have nothing to do with your drug use, but you still might want to avoid them for the sake of your recovery and your mental health. Anyone abusive in your life, whether physically or verbally, needs to go. There are all kinds of abuse, and sometimes the kind that is harder to spot is the most insidious. If your significant other is in the habit of physically assaulting you or taking all their problems out on you, you need to find a way out of the relationship. If your boss uses you as a scapegoat for every mistake or a coworker is continually stealing your ideas for his own, it might be time to think about a career change.
Even your family members can set you back, often without meaning to. In any group of people, you can probably find at least one who has an overbearing, critical parent. For instance, every time you talk to your mother on the phone and try to tell her how your recovery is going, she asks when you’re going to find a job, when you’re going to settle down with an excellent partner, etc. It sounds innocent enough unless it turns into subtle put-downs. “It’s a shame that you wasted that college degree by using all those drugs and now you can’t find a decent job.” “Too bad your last relationship didn’t work out because of that thing you did while you were high.” For someone already suffering from self-esteem issues, this kind of nagging is enough to send you running back to drugs.
Learn to recognize who you can depend on to be supportive and who always makes you feel down on yourself. You don’t have to cut people out of your life forever, but if you can’t have an open discussion with them about how you’re feeling, it might be best to take a step back for a while. It’s estimated that about half of all people who get sober eventually relapse, so anything you can do to keep from becoming part of that statistic will help in the long run.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
