The importance of the environment you are in on your sobriety cannot be underestimated. Depending on where you find yourself or what is in your environment, you can be triggered which could cause a relapse when battling substance use. I wanted to take some time to really break down how our environments can possibly help us be successful or fail when it comes to maintaining sobriety as a someone who suffered from addiction or alcoholism,
So let’s get into it.
First, we must define the different types of environments we can find ourselves in. The three categories typically are physical environment, which is your home, workplace, etc. Social environment which consists of family, friends, support groups and more.
Emotional environment rounds off the list and this consists of mental health and stress levels.
The role of the physical environment needs to be noted when it comes to your recovery journey. This environment consists of your home environment which is key, especially if your leaving a detox facility or any inpatient setting. The home environment should be safe and stable today the least. Community environment which is another component consists of support groups, etc which are always good for people in recovery. Lastly, the workplace environment could be triggering for many of us in recovery or not. Typically stress is part of the environment. Try to find a supportive work culture.
The social environment comprises first of your family. Certain family members and friends included can be supportive of your recovery or enablers of a potential relapse. At all costs. We should keep people around who are positive and supportive influences. Your relationship with both family and friends is very important in your recovery process and key when building support. Another component of the social environment is support networks. Outside of family and friends, NA, AA community resources and more are great to get connected to as well.
The emotional environment is to understand your mental health’s impact on your recovery. It’s making sure you have coping skills, mechanisms for stress and triggers when they come. You should have strategies for creating a positive emotional environment if possible. This could consist of therapy or mindfulness exercises and more.
Those of us in recovery should be very mindful to how we feel in certain settings. Remember, for some of us. In order to take that first step into sobriety, we had to seperate from a toxic environment altogether in order to detox in a safe space. You have the ability to switch settings, but you must hold yourself accountable at all times when stepping into a certain or new scene.
Hopefully you’ve taken inventory of what triggers you in certain environments or in life in general so you can maintain your sobriety. The faster you can identify triggers which could cause relapse the better, but make sure you understand how to proactively live your life once you know what may lead you off the path. Fight to get into spaces that nourish your sobriety and keep you motivated and fulfilled. You can find these spaces.
If you or a loved one needs help, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (818)488-1575
We have people ready to take your call. We are here to assist and understand first hand that sometimes you have to change your environment in order to take that first step. Don’t wait til tomorrow to start taking back control of your life today. We Believe in your recovery.
