When you are in quarantine, you are obviously spending a lot of time on your own. Day-to-day life becomes a routine, and that may create boredom. However, if you are in recovery from addiction, staying sober in quarantine may present a challenge. It can be almost too easy to relapse when you are stuck at home. Our Baltimore Detox Center team has some tips to help identify signs of relapse and stay sober in quarantine.
Stages of Relapse
There are several approaches that you can take for relapse prevention. It is important to note that there are three stages before a person relapses, and these stages are:
- Emotional relapse – At this stage, you don’t intend to abuse drugs. You are proud of the gains made since treatment began, and you feel solid in your recovery. However, this may cause you to lower your guard, and relapse may occur.
- Mental relapse – At this stage, the situation becomes more tricky. There is a goal to maintain sobriety, and at the same time, the urge to use drugs or alcohol also grows. You may even start to question if it’s worth being sober in quarantine.
- Physical relapse – It is this stage where you actually resume your substance abuse. At this point, you may feel that you have failed, so you might as well use as many drugs or consume as much alcohol as you want. However, this can be dangerous. The best option is to stop your relapse and begin your recovery journey again, preferably in a substance abuse program at Baltimore Detox Center.
Tips to Stay Sober in Quarantine
Sober living can be challenging because you may be alone while on the path to recovery. Also, this time of year has holidays that have traditions of substance or alcohol abuse, such as St. Patrick’s Day. Instead, it would be best if you focused on gains made rather than the losses experienced. Some of the ways we advise to remain sober include:
- Daily exercise – Exercise keeps the body active, and this helps in combating the desire to relapse. Training builds physical health, and it increases your self-confidence. Remember being active will also help you beat boredom as you beat the urge to relapse.
- Join an online support group – For a person to stay sober in quarantine, there may be a need to find someone to talk to for encouragement and support when things become overwhelming and reminding them that it is possible to remain sober in quarantine.
- Create a schedule – An easy strategy to stay sober in quarantine is to keep busy with interesting and new activities or hobbies.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle – You should remember to set adequate sleeping time, keep up with personal hygiene, and eat a healthy diet. This will help you combat issues such as depression and anxiety.
Therapy for Relapse Prevention
Sometimes, staying sober in quarantine can be overwhelming, and a patient needs a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program. This therapeutic approach is among the therapy options that can be used for people who are fighting substance abuse and want to continue to be sober.
CBT can be beneficial during individual sessions as it connects emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. It also guides those recovering with coping skills that are useful in resisting triggers.
Other benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy include:
- It can be used for groups or individual sessions.
- CBT can be used as a telehealth option so that you can participate in sessions at home.
- Therapists help you to develop coping skills, which is a useful tool to handle addiction problems.
- Therapists work with patients one-on-one to develop a therapeutic relationship.
- CBT helps identify patterns of behavior that may be harmful to you and work on strategies to adjust these patterns.
Contact Blueprint Recovery for Help Staying Sober in Quarantine
At Baltimore Detox Center, we understand staying sober in quarantine is not a walk in the park, and that is why we are here for you. If you need support or encouragement, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team today by calling [Direct] or completing our online form.
