Tips and Tricks To Help You Maintain Sobriety

Attend support group meetings regularly.

Joining a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) provides a structured sober community and self-accountability. Attending meetings regularly, even daily in early sobriety, can help reinforce why you chose recovery in the first place. Connecting with others in long-term recovery also provides inspiration, advice, and reassurance that maintaining a sober life is possible and preferable.

Develop a relapse prevention plan.

Identify your specific triggers for using substances, including the people, places, things, emotions, and situations that triggered you to use previously. Think of strategies to avoid or cope with those triggers to minimise a potential relapse. Your plan should also include what to do if you have the urge to use, including calling a sober support person, recommitting to your recovery goals, and attending extra AA/NA meetings.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise daily, eat a balanced diet with lots of nutrients, get plenty of sleep, and create systems to manage stress effectively. Treat your sobriety like the lifelong health condition that it is by developing other positive health behaviours that reinforce recovery. Regular physical activity releases feel-good endorphins and is linked to improved mental wellbeing. 

Build a sober social network.

Studies show isolating yourself can increase cravings, so build a social circle of people who support your recovery goals. Studies also show connections decrease the chance of relapse. Join clubs, organisations, volunteer, or take up hobbies that interest you as a way to meet other sober people. With 33% of UK adult drinkers at higher risk, there are plenty of opportunities to engage in alcohol-free socialising.

Find alternative coping strategies.

Identify your past reasons for using substances like managing stress, self-medicating, trying to forget, numbing, boredom, anxiety, or depression. Build a full toolkit of sober coping strategies to replace substance use, including exercise, meditation, journalling, deep breathing exercises, or talking to a trusted loved one, friend or sponsor. The key is finding distractions and learning new skills to manage uncomfortable emotions without reusing substances.

Avoid people, places, and things associated with past substance misuse.

This is known as avoiding your triggers. This includes avoiding bars, venues that sell alcohol, and people who drink or use drugs regularly. Limit access to cash to avoid temptation. It may also mean quitting your job if substance misuse was normalised in your workplace. The first year of sobriety often requires making major life changes to establish a solid foundation for long-term recovery, but these measures are necessary and worthwhile.

Maintain a gratitude journal.

List things you are grateful for every day to stay focused on the positives in your life. Feeling thankful for what you have, instead of envious of what you lack, has been shown to improve mood, reduce cravings, and reinforce the benefits of maintaining sobriety. Research shows practising gratitude can greatly increase happiness and improve overall wellbeing.

Celebrate sobriety milestones.

You should always reward yourself when you hit important recovery milestones like 30 days, 90 days, six months, and a year sober. Be proud of yourself, treat yourself to a non-alcoholic spa day, buy yourself something special, or go out for a nice meal. Making sobriety anniversaries feels significant can motivate you to keep moving forward in your recovery journey. 

Stay accountable.

Tell friends, family members, colleagues, and sober support peers about your sobriety goals and ask them to check in with you regularly. Accountability to others who care about you can keep you on track and motivate you to maintain sobriety. Use apps that track your sobriety progress and connect you with an online support community.

Remember why you chose recovery.

Keep revisiting your original reasons for getting sober whenever cravings hit or your motivation wavers. Keenly reminding yourself of the benefits of sobriety, from better health to happier relationships, can give you the push to resist temptation and maintain your recovery journey one day at a time.

With hard work, dedication, and the right coping strategies in place, you can learn to maintain sobriety for the long haul. Staying committed to your recovery and seeking continued support will pave the way for a healthier and happier future.