Life as an addict is anything but normal. To feed your addiction, you might have had to do things that you might have once considered to be outside of your boundaries. Lying, stealing and breaking apart relationships are all common experiences for anyone who struggles with drug or alcohol addiction. You may have even faced jail time or legal consequences that limit your ability to live a normal lifestyle. The definition of a normal life can definitely vary according to a person’s past experiences and opinions, but you can bet that most people would agree that none of those things are normal. Fortunately, the answer to whether or not drug addicts can ever live a normal life after getting clean is positive. With the right types of help, you can stop worrying about figuring out how to get drugs or hide that you’re high. Instead, you can begin to enjoy living a life that feels more open and free.
As wonderful as life in sobriety may be, there are a few roadblocks to getting there. At first, being sober may not feel normal. After using drugs, your brain might have become dependent upon the chemicals that influence your mood. This can cause you to experience withdrawal symptoms that feel strange or could even make you wonder if you’ll ever feel normal again. The good news is that you will. It just takes time to wean your body off of drugs. You’ll also need to learn how to enjoy your new life in sobriety and find ways to stay busy as you rebuild your life.
Start Living Your Ideal Life With Addiction Treatment
Most likely, you didn’t develop a lifestyle that focused on drugs overnight. Instead, you might have gradually lost interest in your former favorite activities. You might have watched your social group dwindle one by one rather than all at once. If you’ve faced job loss or financial distress, then this also likely occurred over time. In fact, your decline into addiction might have happened so slowly that you felt like you woke up one day wondering who you have become. This is also normal, and it can help you to see how recovery can sometimes be a lengthy process.
You’ll want to start your recovery with professional addiction treatment that helps you to cope emotionally with where you are today. You may also need to go to therapy to deal with issues that affect your ability to live a normal life. The underlying issues that you can get help with in a drug rehab include the following:
- overcome childhood trauma
- discover how to make friends and build positive relationships
- receive help with finding and keeping a job
- identify and learn how to manage underlying mental health issues
In the early stages of recovery, you’ll focus primarily on figuring out how to address the issues that led to your addiction. Learning how to manage depression, anxiety or PTSD provides a major boost to you being able to live a normal life. After all, it’ll be much easier to have healthy relationships or build a career when you feel mentally strong. As your recovery continues, you’ll work with counselors who can help you begin to create an image of what your ideal life looks like. Since the concept of a normal life can vary from one person to another, they’ll encourage you to do what works for you. Do you dream of owning your own business one day? Then, they’ll help you decide if you need to go back to school or connect with other professionals. Or, your ideal life might mean being a better parent or spouse. Family therapy can help you meet that goal.
In some ways, you might need to reconsider what a normal life means. If you are asking if you can ever use drugs again or hang out with your old drug-using crowd, then the answer to this is no. You may even need to avoid drinking alcohol or visiting certain locations that trigger your cravings. At first, this might feel different, but changing your attitude about these lifestyle changes helps you to make them normal. Eventually, you won’t even miss your old life. Instead, you’ll be so busy making progress in your new one that you’ll accept it as completely normal to spend your time enjoying sober activities.
Are you wondering what life will be like after getting clean? If so, we can help you start building your ideal life. Give us a call today at 833-610-1174. Better health and happiness is waiting for you to decide to get sober.