According to research, nearly 20 million Americans struggle with a substance use disorder.[1]
If you struggled with addiction and have quit using alcohol and drugs, you know it’s only the first step toward recovery. Recovery rates would increase substantially if all you had to do was quit using drugs. Once you stop using substances, you have to begin building your emotional sobriety.
You may be wondering, what is emotional sobriety? It is less about simply being happy and content and more about being grateful for who you are and your place in the world. Additionally, being emotionally sober suggests that you can use healthy coping mechanisms to navigate the things that life throws at you, rather than reacting negatively.
The first step in finding emotional sobriety is learning how to build it.
Building emotional sobriety is no walk in the park. Once you remove the drugs and alcohol, you are left without any coping mechanisms to deal with your emotions and feelings. To build emotional sobriety, you must first learn to use healthy coping mechanisms.
Once you are using your coping mechanisms, your work doesn’t stop there. The ultimate goal is to know how to keep your emotional center of gravity and not let outside factors define your behavior.
Here are the 5 best ways to build your emotional sobriety.
Practicing mindfulness meditation can help you build up your self-awareness. To explain, self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, and emotions align with your values. Mindfulness meditation is a tool that can help you align yourself, become self-aware, and identify areas in which you need to grow.
Oftentimes, we get wrapped up in the chaos of the outside world and how it affects our minds. Mindfulness meditation teaches you how to silence the noise around you and focus on your inner self, thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Understanding these things can allow you to become aware of how your emotions and thoughts lead to your behaviors, helping you change negative patterns of behavior into positive ones.
When you are participating in a 12-step-based recovery program, you will make amends to the people you harmed during your addiction. Whether you participate in a 12-step program or not, making amends can promote personal growth, increase self-awareness, and improve your relationships with others. All of these things are vital to becoming emotionally sober.
When you make amends, you verbally acknowledge your wrongdoings and ask how you can fix the issues between you and the other person. Taking their suggestions and mending that relationship shows extreme emotional intelligence, which is an aspect of being emotionally sober.
Building positive relationships is vital during addiction recovery, as you need support and friendship to help get you through hard times. Additionally, being in positive relationships with others allows you to build healthy communication skills, learn to set boundaries, and increase your ability to empathize with others.
Being able to communicate effectively, without being confrontational or accusatory, is a major sign of emotional sobriety. Due to this, one of the best ways to find emotional sobriety is to create positive relationships and practice healthy communication with your friends and loved ones.
You cannot be emotionally sober without being able to take care of your own needs. Oftentimes, we get so caught up in helping others that we forget to take care of ourselves. This causes us to begin feeling irritable, worn out, and ungrateful.
Practicing self-care will allow you to feel energized and motivated in your own recovery, putting you in a good place to help others. Knowing when to take a step back and double down on your self-care is a sign of emotional intelligence and sobriety.
Sometimes, emotional sobriety is not that easy to obtain. You may require a little extra help to get there, especially if you suffer from co-occurring mental health conditions. As a result, attending therapy and continuing to go to 12-step meetings or other forms of self-help addiction groups is of the utmost importance.
Attending therapy will help you build your self-awareness, understand your triggers, and learn how to self-regulate your emotions to prevent bad patterns of behavior from starting. Additionally, going to addiction support groups like AA or NA can support you, the opportunity to create meaningful relationships, and provide you with the tools you need to build emotional sobriety.
Michael Herbert, The Recovery Guide, has more than 30 years of experience working closely with individuals and families dealing with addiction and recovery issues. He is a seasoned Coach and can help you and your family establish long-term goals and access the tools you need for continued abstinence and recovery for the entire family. Get in touch with Michael today at 561-221-7677 to schedule an appointment.
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