Five Ways to Live Your Best Addiction-Free Life

You’ve worked hard to get here. That space between addiction and addiction-free; that moment where you are unsure but optimistic about the future after a stint in heroin drug rehab. You fear a relapse, but also feel excited about all of the things you can do now that you are free from the tangles of substance abuse.

The real question is—can you live a fulfilling life after addiction? According to Heroin addiction statistics, the answer is–Yes, of course you can. However, you need to be diligent about avoidance, coping skills, and keeping your mind busy. You have to want to remain addiction-free; otherwise, you will put yourself back at square one.

Read on for give ways to live your best addiction-free life.

Count Your Blessings—Literally, on a Daily Basis

Are you alive and on your way to better health? Do you have food to eat, somewhere to sleep, and the love and support of a group of friends or family? Do you have dreams, goals, and ambitions? Then you are blessed. So many people forget that the essentials, like love and care, are blessings that they should count as lucky on a daily basis.

Make a list of your blessings, no matter how small, and keep this list somewhere you can see and review it every day. Sometimes you need to be reminded of all you have now so you don’t slip back into the bad habits that you had then.

Surround Yourself with Supportive Loved Ones

The support of loved ones can be invaluable, especially if they have stuck by your side through the best of times and the worst of times. These people are your blessings too, so don’t lose sight of them.

These people are your support group; your go-to hugs when you need a shoulder to cry on or a helpful ear to bounce your ideas off of. Just remember that it takes two to make a stellar relationship, so be as attentive as you hope they will be. You are their support as much as they are yours.

Reignite Hobbies That You Loved—Or Find News Ones to Enjoy

Before addiction took hold, what did you love to do? Did you love to paint, read, or create amazing murals that inspired ambition and passion? Did you simply love to watch cartoons in your pajamas on Saturday mornings? Get back to that. Reignite the fire that you had for what you loved to do before addiction became a dominant figure in your life.

Better yet, discover new things that you love to do. Examples? Adopt a pup to walk every morning through the local park. Throw yourself into volunteer work at the local soup kitchen so you can give back to your community. Or, even simpler, learn how to cook so you can experiment with recipes that alight the taste buds of your loved ones.

Be Aware of Your Triggers and Strive to Avoid Them

Everyone has a trigger, or a dozen, to their addictions. The best thing you can do to avoid your triggers is to be aware of them. For instance, if your past was rife in alcohol abuse, avoid parties and celebrations where you know alcohol will be a main component. At least until you feel that you are strong enough to firmly, completely say no to the temptations.

Another example? How about old friends? If your friends were the ones to help set you on the path of addiction, make an effort to find new friends. You need clean, sober, supportive people in your life, so strive to avoid toxic influences.

Hone Your Coping Skills on a Daily Basis with Positive Affirmation and Reiteration of Your Addiction-Free Goals
Coping skills aren’t something you come up with and stick to overnight. Being addiction-free will take time and energy, so make sure you work on honing your coping skills with positive affirmation on a daily basis. What is positive affirmation? Telling yourself that you can be addiction-free and live a happy life, for example, is positive affirmation.

Another method to perfecting your coping skills is reiteration of your addiction-free goals. For instance, if one of your post-addiction goals is to get in shape, aim to commit to an exercise and nutrition plan that helps you accomplish this. Or, if one of your goals revolves around doing more with your family and re-strengthening the bonds between yourself and your loved ones, work on that. Remember why you chose to clean up in the first place.