Sobriety is something you are striving hard for. You are tired of the addiction and all the negative things it has caused in your life. Your addiction recovery has you thinking positively most of the time but you are discovering that the first thirty days of sobriety are difficult. They are probably the most difficult part of the journey. You may see your body getting better, but the thoughts that pop up unwanted in your mind may have you confused, doubtful, and even scared. Know that all of this is a normal part of addiction recovery. There are some things that you can do to help you get through this difficult period and come out on the other side with more strength and determination than you may currently see as possible.

Plan, Plan, Plan

When every minute of the day is planned for, you don’t have time to dwell on the time you spent getting drunk or high. Schedule time for exercise, eating, attending meetings, and even relaxation. Start thinking about your future and make plans for what you want to do with your new-found energy, time, and money.

Attend All Meetings

Now more than any other time you need to be near people who understand what you are going through. Don’t make any excuses for missing meetings. Even if you are having a good day, go with the idea you might be able to support someone else.

Stay Physically Healthy

This includes eating well, exercising, and maintaining a good sleep schedule. It also means keeping up with any doctor visits. As your body is healing, you want to do all you can to help it along.

Take Up a New Hobby

Think about the things you have always wanted to learn. Sign up for a class, join a group, or design your own private learning system. If nothing new appeals to you right away, consider something you used to love before drugs or alcohol and re-ignite that passion. Do you feel the photography bug tugging at you? Maybe you can write that book you used to think about or start painting.

Write

Journaling is a way of getting all the negative thoughts out of your mind. Putting them on paper allows you to examine them and then push them aside, making room for different, more positive thoughts. It is often better to actually write with pen and paper but if that isn’t your thing, a computer keyboard will still serve the purpose.

Practice Forgiveness

As time goes on, you will think about all the pain you may have caused. This includes pain and damage to yourself. You can’t go back and change these things. What you can do is acknowledge these things and then forgive yourself. Know that you are beyond that place now and you can make the future better. Learn to see that you are human and humans mess up. What is important is to move forward with a plan on doing better.

Make Connections

You are not alone. It is possible that you lost all the people you normally associated with when you entered addiction recovery. Sobriety tends to make you see who really has your best interest in mind. There are plenty of people out there, however, who will support you. Go to places, meet people. Maybe start going to church if that is something that interests you. Join a club, visit places like museums and art galleries, and talk with people.

Discover New Places

Think about all the places you have wanted to visit but pushed aside because they didn’t fit with your addiction. Now is the time to explore these places. You don’t even have to travel far from home to find some of these places. However, if travel is something you have always wanted to do, maybe you can start planning a vacation or road trip now to give you something to work toward.

You Will Make It

It won’t be easy and anybody that tells you it will be hasn’t been through the process. There will be doubts and you may even stumble but you will make it if you keep your resolve. Realize that it didn’t take you a day to get to this point and it won’t take you a day to recover. The main thing is, you can make it. Look toward some of the above things, and use them to discover others. The journey ahead is worth it. You are worth it.