5 Staying Sober Tips During Quarantine You Need to Know
Here’s a sobering statistic: more than 1 million people have died from the coronavirus at this time. While the death toll continues to rise every single day, staying sober might be the last thing on your mind right now.
Let’s face it: quarantine and pandemics are a stressful time for everyone, especially those trying to stay sober. Read my blog to find staying sober tips that really work!
1. Stay Close to Your Support Network
Staying sober tip number one: stay as close to your network of community support as possible. When your routine is interrupted, it might be easy for anxiety or stress to creep into your day. That’s when most of us turned to alcohol or drugs to keep us relax, which leads to a higher risk of relapsing.
This is particularly true for those of us who are suffering from:
- Personal stress
- Relationship status
- Work stress
Once this occurs, it is important to reset your pattern of thinking to avoid picking up a bad habit again. To combat this, you might want to make plans to stay connected with your friends and family to keep you accountable. This might also include viable resources such as your peer recovery coach or your sponsor.
All that it takes is a simple phone call with a friend to connect you to others before you know it. Pro tip: this is especially essential for those of you who are quarantining at home alone.
2. Use Online Resources For Recovery
Another great idea is to use online resources to assist you in your recovery process. Ever since the coronavirus began, social distancing has made many recovery groups and 12 step programs to halt their meetings. However, this doesn’t exactly mean that you can’t attend any of these meetups anymore.
As a matter of fact, there are tons of virtual groups that can be accessed from your computer or your smartphone. From secular AA meetings to virtual NA meetings, you’ll be sure to find the right digital support group for you in no time.
3. Be on the Lookout for Triggers
Not only should you watch your thoughts for existing triggers, but you should also be aware of any new ones that may come your way. Luckily for you, it’s easier than ever to avoid the places and the people who might lead to relapse, cravings, and other negative thoughts.
However, as you adjust to more time at home, new triggers may pop up at any time. For instance, those of you who spend time thinking about using drugs or drinking while watching a new show may want to find a new form of entertainment.
At the same token, spending too much time alone can trigger you to relapse as well. Instead of judging yourself, try redirecting your attention and your mind to something a little bit more positive. When all else fails, this is the time to reach out to your peer support group or counselor for additional help.
4. Start Practicing Meditation
In a nutshell, being present in the moment starts with getting out of your head. Rather than worrying about things that happened to the past or may happen in the future, try to dwell on one second at a time.
To begin your meditation practice, it may be helpful to search for tutorials or guided meditations that will let you relax safely and soberly. Remember: you’re not alone in this and this crisis will not last forever.
5. Embrace Healthy Distractions and Routines
Although this may sound like a no-brainer, embracing healthy distractions and routines is the key to staying on the path to sobriety. This can be as easy as eating meals, waking up, and going to bed the exact same time each day.
If you continue to have cravings for alcohol or drugs, distract yourself by taking part in distractions such as:
- Journaling
- Drawing
- Exercise
- Playing an instrument
- Preparing a meal
You might be surprised by how therapeutic these everyday activities may be for your mental health. Why not connect with your friends and family for an online game night on Skype or Zoom? You won’t regret it!
Planning for how you will feeling in lockdown is important to avoiding alcohol relapse. Have plenty of things you can do indoors, if puzzles are your thing – get plenty it. Stock up on video games if you love the one screen action or even set up a virtual stock market trading account and trade some stocks if you are a numbers person.
Bonus Points: Talk to a Therapist or Doctor
Last but not least, if you find that your thoughts of alcohol or drugs are becoming undeniable, it might be time to talk to a therapist or doctor. This is particularly true if you have already relapsed. By getting in touch with a professional, they might be able to get you back on track before your problems worsen.
The best part is that most of these professionals provide some sort of video virtual care visit as well. In fact, your virtual therapy sessions may even be covered by your insurance provider. This is a great alternative when in-person visits aren’t available.
Even though there’s no cure for addiction, that doesn’t mean that remission isn’t possible. By managing your condition and creating a treatment plan you can stick to, you might even be able to avoid a relapse in the first place. We wish you the best of luck!
Searching for Staying Sober Tips?
Sick and tired of searching for staying sober tips online?
When it comes to the sober life, we’ve got the sobriety tips that you have been looking for and so much more. From connecting to your community to reaching out to a professional, there are so many ways to stay sober during this quarantine time.
Want to learn more about sobriety?
Try our free Quit Drinking Seminar today!
