Recovery and sobriety are ongoing journeys. Surrounding oneself with positive influences is crucial while overcoming substance use disorder (SUD). There can be any number of unforeseen stresses, challenges, and obstacles throughout each person’s continued journey, each of which can impact one’s mentality, coping skills, and motivation to continue seeing their recovery through. Unfortunately, not all people will necessarily understand or support an individual’s dedication to sobriety in the same way. Being able to identify the friends, family, and loved ones that positively influence a person’s recovery can ensure that those navigating sobriety are able to continue focusing on their change, betterment, and success throughout their newfound sober lives.
Choosing Your Influences
While unfortunate, it may be necessary for an individual to distance themselves from particular social groups or environments to reflect their dedication to sober change. Some people may not understand the need for sobriety or may even be actively detrimental to a person’s sober goals by continuing to normalize the use of addictive substances, romanticizing a time when a person was engaging with these substances, or introducing an individual to unnecessary high-risk situations such as making such substances available.
Identifying the dangers of these relationships and distancing oneself from those who do not actively support or understand a person’s sober efforts is paramount. While some people may not understand the importance but are willing to learn about the sober journey, others may be reluctant to engage in such conversation or transformation. However, while distancing oneself from these relationships is necessary, it is equally as important to identify those who have a positive influence on continued sobriety to create the best social network for continued sober success.
Identifying positive influences is extraordinarily important throughout outpatient recovery, as an individual may not be living in a curated environment surrounded by peers in recovery themselves and dedicated professionals at all hours of the day. Rather, life in outpatient treatment can introduce many different challenges, with positive influences being necessary to process and overcome these challenges to maintain each person’s hard-earned sobriety.
Elements of Positive Influences
Positive influences in recovery are crucial to maintaining motivation and focus on a person’s continued sobriety. Identifying those who best understand and positively influence a person’s recovery is important, not only for being able to surround oneself with the most effective supports but also for being able to give back and express gratitude throughout recovery.
Availability
Being available is necessary to have a positive impact on another, and those in recovery can benefit from identifying those that are consistently available along their journey. Not only does this mean being physically available to talk, pick up the phone, or meet in person for lunch or outings, but it also means being emotionally available enough to confide in, discuss vulnerable topics, and more. While an individual may have a good and sober time with a close friend, if they are unwilling to discuss emotional trials or challenges or delve into deeper conversations, their availability can be compromised. Having emotionally available relationships throughout recovery is necessary to effectively address challenges and facilitate genuine change.
Willingness to Explore Change
Positive influences also not only accept a person’s changes throughout recovery but often actively encourage them. A willingness to explore change can mean not only adjusting home atmospheres, as with family members looking to support loved ones, but also an openness to amending established traditions that may no longer be applicable in a person’s new life.
Those who are open to such change and actively facilitate it themselves, such as by starting new holiday traditions, exploring new hobbies alongside an individual, or encouraging new outlets altogether, can all be invaluable relationships in recovery, carrying wholly positive influences on the development of each person’s new sober identity.
Accountability and Support
Positive influences have a role in being able to help those in recovery continue to focus on their recovery while providing amazing emotional support to challenge feelings of anxiety, depression, and more that are commonplace throughout recovery. However, positive influences aren’t always necessarily tasked with cheering a person up. Rather, they can hold them accountable throughout their journey. While this can mean making those in recovery face mistakes and the consequences of their use, it also means holding those in recovery equally accountable for their triumphs and successes in recovery. Establishing a relationship with those willing to help those confront their past for a healthier future can be an important, positive influence for a transformed future.
Finding Positive Influences at Redpoint
Dedicated treatment facilities are crucial for introducing an individual to others who share in a person’s sober goals and ambitions. The community of peers and professionals at Redpoint is a great place to meet others who can greatly and positively impact each person’s sober journey. With an atmosphere of community and fellowship that permeates Redpoint, finding and accepting new and positive influences in each recovery journey is always possible. While each individual will have their own personal journey with recovery, having a space to come together and interact with others with similar goals and a positive and supportive atmosphere is paramount to creating and maintaining the most effective approach to a sober future.
Surrounding yourself with the most effective and positive people can greatly impact the success of your continued sobriety. At Redpoint, we are committed to creating this atmosphere and community of support throughout your recovery journey. We understand the need for like-minded peers and caring professionals to best support your sober journey, and our dedication to the local communities of Colorado is a core part of our approach to sustainable, effective recovery. By creating an atmosphere of healing and dedication, we can help you surround yourself with the support and positivity necessary to pursue and maintain your truly transformative recovery efforts. For more information on how we can help you, call to speak to us today at (303) 710-8496.
