Avoiding Complacency in Recovery

Recovery is a lifelong journey. It is something that you have to work on daily. Far too often, people in recovery will get complacent when it comes to maintaining their sobriety. This can happen weeks, months, or even decades after they have completed addiction treatment.

When complacency sets in during the recovery process, it can increase the risk of a relapse. That’s why avoiding complacency in recovery is such an essential aspect of addiction recovery. 

Being able to identify possible dangers of complacency as well as knowing things that you can do in order to keep complacency from setting in can go a long way in maintaining your sobriety.

Why Complacency is Harmful in Recovery

For someone in recovery, complacency can be one of the most detrimental things to their sobriety. 

When you first finish treatment, you likely feel a sense of accomplishment, like you are ready to take on the world. More importantly, you are actively thinking about what you need to do daily to stay clean and sober. Sobriety is front and center on the mind.

As the weeks, months, and years go on, it’s fairly common to get back into the daily rhythm of life. When that happens, your sobriety might start to become less and less of a daily thought as complacency sets in. 

Oftentimes, you might not even realize that this is happening. However, the further on the backburner you put your sobriety, and the more complacent you get, the greater the risk of potential danger or bad things that can happen, such as relapse.

Ideas to Battle Complacency

The best way to prevent complacency from setting in is to actively combat it. If you are worried that you might be battling complacency in recovery, here are some helpful tips.

Keep Attending Support Group Meetings

As you get back into the swing of your daily life, it can be hard to find the time to make it to a meeting, especially if you are well into the recovery process. It’s important to make a point to continue to make your support group meetings a priority, even if it means blocking the time off on your calendar. 

Attending meetings and maintaining relationships with your sponsor and other attendees remains a crucial part of the recovery process no matter how many months or years you have been sober. Support groups, including 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, are what helped get you here in the first place and they can continue to help you for years and decades to come.

Stay Positive But Also Grounded

The feeling that many have once they finish their recovery program is a great one. They feel accomplished that they overcame their substance abuse and are excited to start their new journey. This is known as the “pink cloud”. 

While this feeling of self-satisfaction is great, and you should absolutely be proud of what you have accomplished, it’s important not to allow those feelings to get in the way of reality. Your sobriety is something you have to work on daily, no matter what temptations or triggers the world may try and throw at you. Staying in that “pink cloud” mindset can keep you from living in the present and tackling your daily challenges head-on. 

Do You Need Help Avoiding Complacency In Recovery?

Whether you have succumbed to complacency and have relapsed, or you just want to talk to someone about your recovery journey, Restorations Health Care is here to help.

We are a drug and alcohol inpatient detox and residential treatment center located in Anaheim, CA. If you or a loved one are seeking treatment in and around Southern California, call us at 877-578-0708.