Fans of 1980s television programs likely remember The A-Team, a popular action and adventure series. Before getting into a plan, each episode opened with a reminder of the team’s backstory:
In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them…. maybe you can hire the A-Team.
The leader of the A-Team was a character named John “Hannibal” Smith who was played by George Peppard. Hannibal had a catchphrase: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Making a plan and then seeing that plan succeed can be very satisfying. And it can be important, too.
For example, if you are a person who is struggling with drugs or alcohol you need a plan for reclaiming your sobriety—and then you need to execute that plan.
Let’s consider some of the steps that are essential for your sobriety plan.
Step One: Find Someone Who Can Help You
When you are using drugs or alcohol, there is a good chance that your thought process is muddled, your decision-making is impaired, and your grasp of important details is shaky. As a result, it can be extremely helpful to enlist the support of a close friend or family member to help you make and follow through on your plans.
It might not be easy to ask for help—especially if you have been trying to hide the fact that you are struggling—but making the effort is worthwhile. Your friend or family member can provide encouragement and support as you pursue treatment.
Step Two: Find a Recovery Center
Your plan to reclaim your sobriety should not include an effort to give up drugs or alcohol on your own. The difficulties involved in going cold turkey are many, so your plan should start with finding a fully certified recovery center. Make sure any center you are considering offers medically supervised detoxification, a robust rehabilitation program that can provide strategies and resources for maintaining your sobriety (as well as addressing any co-occurring mental health disorders), and a continuum of care that provides ongoing support as your recovery journey gets underway.
We just mention here that Bel Aire Recovery Center provides all of those services for those who are seeking to get sober.
Step Three: Make the Appropriate Arrangements
It would be nice if you could simply drop everything and head off to treatment. But often that just is not possible. You may need to talk to your boss or to someone at your school. You might need to arrange care for your children. You should review your insurance coverage and be sure you have a plan for paying for treatment.
Step Four: Go to Treatment
It may seem like this step goes without saying. But it takes resolve to go to treatment—even after you have decided to go and have made all the necessary arrangements. So it is important to include this step in your overall plan.
Step Five: Take Action to Support Your Sobriety After Treatment
Once residential treatment comes to an end, you will return to your daily life. It is important to make necessary changes to your lifestyle to support your ongoing sobriety. You may need to cut ties with toxic individuals in your life while repairing and strengthening healthy relationships. You may need to start an exercise program, rethink your diet, improve your sleep habits, and/or practice mindfulness. You will want to attend recovery meetings and avoid going places that will tempt you to drink or use drugs.
Step Six: Have a Contingency Plan in Case of Relapse
Listen, no one wants a relapse to be part of their overall recovery plan. But an important part of planning is planning for problems. And relapse is a common problem.
So, what should you do if you experience a relapse? You should return to step four: Go to treatment. You may need to repeat some of the earlier steps, too, but the essential thing is getting back into treatment. A relapse is a setback, to be sure, but it is not the end of your recovery journey. Jump back a couple of steps and try again.
If You Have a Problem, We Can Help—And We Are Easy to Find
Remember that intro to The A-Team?
If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them…
Well, when it comes to getting help for a substance use problem, we have good news. Bel Aire Recovery Center can help—and it is pretty simple to find us. After all, you are already on our blog!
If you are ready to put drugs or alcohol behind you, Bel Aire Recovery Center in Kansas is ready to be your A-team.
