Imagine for a moment that you are a basketball player hoping to make it to the next level. Maybe that level is middle school to high school or high school to college or college to the pros. In order to accomplish that goal, you are going to need to make sure you are working to develop your basketball-related skills.
For example, you are not going to go very far as a basketball player if you do not learn how to dribble the ball. Over time, dribbling is a skill you can improve by practicing and by learning in gameplay. Ultimately, you are looking to develop “good handles”—that is, you want to be good at dribbling the ball while maneuvering around defenders, finding your teammates for passes, or getting to a good spot for taking a shot.
Dribbling is a fundamental skill for a hooper, but it is far from the only one. You need to be able to make baskets, pass with skill, play defense, and much, much more. Developing all of those skills takes dedication and a lot of repetition.
A person in recovery from a substance use disorder also needs to develop a strong set of skills that can help them stay on track over time. Honing those skills—just like getting more skilled at basketball—requires dedication to the task of keeping your recovery journey going.
Let’s look at six skills that can serve you well in recovery.
Noticing and Identifying Your Triggers
It is important to know what sort of triggers you associate with drug or alcohol use. For example, you might associate specific people with your substance use. You might realize that certain emotions tend to make you crave drugs. You could find that some locations connected to your substance use are now places you really should not go.
Learning how to spot—and then to avoid or mitigate—various triggers is part of the treatment process. But it is not just a one-and-done endeavor. Staying vigilant about triggers is an important skill to develop and maintain over time.
Developing an Effective Set of Coping Skills
In the past, you may have been turning to drugs or alcohol to deal with challenges in your daily life. You might have taken up drinking, for example, as a way to relieve stress or overcome feelings of anxiety. Of course, this is not a healthy approach to managing challenges, and in treatment, developing better coping skills is a priority.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one way to approach the development of coping skills. CBT involves identifying the connections between your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. When you can see those connections clearly, you will be better able to find healthier coping strategies that support your recovery.
Making Consistently Good Choices
Part of the recovery journey involves leaning into some important practices. For example, eating healthily, exercising regularly, and sleeping restfully are all activities that support your recovery.
Of course, plenty of things can get in the way of making good decisions, and so it is important to build up a habit of making a positive choice as frequently as possible. That might mean replacing a sugary beverage with water, parking a little further from your workplace to get some walking in, or putting your screen down an hour or two before bed.
Improving the Way You Talk to Yourself
Many of us have an inner critic who always seems to be reminding us of everything we have ever done wrong and suggesting that we will never be able to make positive progress. That voice is particularly dangerous for a person in recovery.
As a result, it is important to develop the skill of positive self-talk. That might, for example, mean repeating affirmations to yourself each day and in moments when you find your inner critic is particularly loud. Kinder self-talk protects your recovery in a way that ongoing self-criticism simply does not.
Building and Rebuilding Positive Relationships
The last skill was about building a good relationship to yourself. The next step is to build (or rebuild) positive relationships with others. That means learning how to be a good friend to others as well as accepting love and support from people in your life who want to see you be successful in recovery.
Given that a substance use disorder tends to upend relationships, you may find you have some apologizing to do. That’s a skill, too, and one worth developing in recovery.
Learning to Reflect on and Celebrate Milestones
It can be easy to let significant recovery milestones pass you by, but we would encourage you to develop a skill for reflection and celebration when it comes to your ongoing efforts to leave drugs and alcohol behind. Learning to celebrate is a great way to build yourself up and lean into the motivation to keep your recovery healthy.
Just be sure to remember that drugs and alcohol are not welcome at these celebrations.
We’re Skilled at Helping You
If you’re struggling with a substance use disorder, Bel Aire Recovery Center can help. Located near Wichita, Kansas, Bel Aire offers personalized, evidence-based treatment plans as well as ongoing support to ensure your recovery journey gets off to a good start. We’re ready to help you make a change.
