Stress management is an essential skill for anyone in addiction recovery to learn. Most treatment programs offer some form of education or counseling regarding how to effectively manage the stress that inevitably happens in one’s daily life, and this is with good reason. Succumbing to stressful situations is one of the most common causes of relapse after drug and alcohol rehab.
Things may be going fine for a while, and then the individual loses their job, begins to have financial difficulties, or experiences the loss of a loved one. It could also be a more general everyday occurrence, such as marital problems. Prior to going through a treatment program, the addict had a harmful way of dealing with the problems in their life. They turned to drugs and alcohol. The individual has lost that option by choosing abstinence. This is undoubtedly a good thing, but new skills need to be put into practice in order to handle life’s problems. There is sometimes a fantasy that everything will magically fall into place when one is finished with a treatment program. However, the reality is that individuals often have a more difficult time dealing with daily issues.
Some people have a harder time dealing with stress than others. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why they turned to alcohol or drug abuse in the first place. Fortunately, stress management is a skill that can be developed and cultivated. Effective methods involve looking at the issues within oneself that cause the stress overload. There will always be problems in life, so trying to avoid them doesn’t work. It’s they way that an individual looks and deals with the world around them from the inside out that can be changed. Practicing a healthy lifestyle, spirituality, exercise, and getting enough sleep are all things that can help with stress as well as addiction recovery.