ristol Rovers

Addiction tends to create a lifestyle of chaos and disorganization. There is generally a lack of organization and structure to an addict’s daily activities. Sometimes by the time that they get to recovery, they have lost the positive organizing structure of their lives. There is no work routine. There is no routine for taking care of personal or family responsibilities. They frequently have eating/sleeping routines that are out of mainstream. An addict’s life can become chaotic and haphazard.An addict that is seeking recovery, often goes to inpatient treatment. There are many benefits of this type of treatment. One benefit of inpatient treatment is the organizing structure of the program itself and the daily routine that develops by being engaged in treatment. The structure usually consists of a regimented wake up time, a scheduled amount of time for meals served at the same time daily, rules and treatment expectations. Patients in treatment are expected to sleep at night and be engaged in treatment during the day, attend sessions, and focus on recovery. When a newly recovering person leaves the safety of inpatient treatment s/he is called upon to develop structure for herself/himself.Obsessive thoughts about drinking/using are reduced by closely scheduling your day. Boredom, which is highly correlatede with those obsessive thoughts about using, is reduced. Active addiction is characterized by the addict’s life revolving around getting the drug, using it, and getting over using it. In abstinence the loss of this behavior represents a loss of structure. The newly recovering addict is called upon to figure out how to replace the old drinking/drugging routine with new, recovery enhancing routines.A new lifestyle must be developed that encourages and nurtures recovery. That often means a complete restructuring of a person’s time, activities, and attention. It involves a massive change in routine.A recovery lifestyle can be developed more easily by using a day planner, appointment book, or other similar tools to build a daily schedule of recovery enhancing activities. In this schedule should be counseling and sponsor appointments, planned personal and family events like parent/teacher conferences, date night, lunch with the girls, etc. Self-care activities, such as daily physical exercise, meditation time, personal relaxation routines, should also be scheduled in.A highly structured daily routine can be very helpful in early recovery. It can help prevent relapse by reducing excessive free time which leaves a person’s mind to wander. Reducing the free time can help to eliminate cravings and triggers. It can also reduce the opportunity to dwell on negative thoughts about self, others, and the world that feeds depression and anxiety.Keeping a daily schedule also helps with prioritizing tasks and activities that recovering people are called upon to participate in. Sometimes people in recovery feel as if they are pulled in too many directions and are scheduled too tightly. In this case, a schedule that is too densely scheduled, serves to increase rather than decrease their stress. A schedule that is too densely committed, may serve as an indicator of the need to learn and practice assertiveness. It is important to learn to set and maintain appropriate boundaries in early recovery. Learning to say “no” to a request for your time, can be difficult, but with practice, can build or reinforce positive self esteem and self-confidence. Knowing that you are engaged in too many activities can also help you to improve your ability to prioritize. Without this ability, it is easy to become frustrated and overwhelmed, thereby increasing your stress.Increased stress, regardless of whether it comes from too mjuch or too little structure, increases the likelihood of relapse if left unchecked. People in early recovery are called upon to learn how to balance the conflicting demands for their time and attention. Learning this balance takes time, awareness, and practice.Copyright (c) 2009 Peggy L. Ferguson, Ph.D.