A Guide to Your First 30 Days Out of Rehab

The first 30 days after leaving rehab are arguably the most crucial time for your sobriety. What you do during this time can set you up for success, and make the following months and years of sobriety easier. On the other hand, the wrong decisions during the first 30 days could send you into a downward spiral of relapse that could take years to recover from.

What follows are some strategies to help you navigate the first 30 days out of recovery more easily:

Plan

The first 30 days are often the most challenging times for those in recovery. It's vital that you have a plan for each day—hour by hour if necessary. By filling your days with healthy activities, there's less likelihood for relapse. If you're not sure how to fill your time, then read on for ideas.

Attend All Meetings

What meetings are supposed to be in your recovery plan? Make sure you attend all of them—whether that's individual therapy, group therapy, AA, NA, SMART Recovery, LifeRing, or any combination of the above.

For one thing, attending meetings can be a reminder of why you chose to go to rehab in the first place. Secondly, if things are going well, it can be a reminder of how far you've come. Third, it can show you support you may have forgotten was there. Finally, meetings help take up some of your time—time that might otherwise be spent drinking or using drugs.

Stay Physically Healthy

Physical health plays a big part in mental and emotional health, both of which are crucial for addiction recovery. Make sure to eat well and get enough rest each night. Physical exercise is important too—you don't have to become a gym rat, but consider a vigorous daily walk, bike ride, or swim, and you'll feel the benefits.

Take Up a New Hobby

Learning something new has many benefits for those in addiction recovery. It's a great way to take up some of the time you may have previously spent getting high. Mastering a new skill is a confidence boost, and that confidence will permeate into other areas of your life.

Taking up a hobby will also show you what you missed out on when you were using. Addiction can be all-consuming, and you'll realize how many hours you used to waste. A new hobby will also help take your mind off cravings—you'll be too busy learning something new to focus on what you're missing.

Write

Keeping a journal is another healthy way to keep busy while in recovery. When writing, you might discover fears or triggers you never knew you had, and you will be better equipped to deal with them once they are on paper. Writing can also help you learn to express yourself more articulately, which can help you get the most from recovery meetings.

Practice Forgiveness

When going through addiction recovery, forgiveness of yourself and others is crucial. While some of your transgressions while using are unforgivable, they have happened, they're over, and there's nothing you can do about them now. Beating yourself up about what you may have done while using is neither productive nor healthy.

Instead, focus on how you are going to move forward. The past is history, but the future has yet to be written.

Make Connections

Your first 30 days out of recovery should be a time of connection with others. Try your best to make new friends that will help support your sobriety. Also, reach out to and spend time with your old friends—the ones who supported you while you were in treatment. Go out to lunch with friends, have dinner with family, attend events where you feel comfortable and welcomed.

If you're comfortable doing so, get yourself a sponsor. Try to avoid social media as much as possible. Instead of digitally connecting with old friends, try to connect in person. You'll find that in-person meetups and hangouts are much more valuable for your recovery than any online connection could ever be.

Discover New Places

One way to appreciate life while in recovery is to visit new places. You don't have to travel around the world—even a trip to a new city, state, or national park can give you a fresh perspective and a sense of wonder that you may have lost during addiction.

You Will Make It

The first 30 days out of rehab can be tough, but they're also a time of hope, discovery, and learning. By adding healthy activities to your life, and making connections with those who are going through a similar situation, you will make it through the first 30 days—and many more after that.

If you need help with drug or alcohol addiction, or if you've recently relapsed, SOBA New Jersey can help. We offer medically-supervised detox programs, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), outpatient programs, and drug treatment aftercare. Call us today.