Now that the holidays have winded down and schedules are getting back to normal, you may feel a little lost in your recovery measures. During the holidays you were probably going to a ton of meetings and hanging out with sober friends for all the holiday festivities. You put in a lot effort into staying sober during the holidays and the adrenaline that you once felt may be gone.
The reality of being back in school, participating in extracurricular activities, and being a young person in sobriety may have already set back in.
Do not worry. This is a normal let down that happens after the holidays when there a lot going on and then suddenly the load lightens. The main thing to do is to keep up the good efforts in your recovery program so that you keep getting the same rewards. Although there may not be as many fun and festive activities to do, you can find other aspects of your recovery that create huge growth.
Be of service.
The holidays are all about giving and the continuation of giving into the new year will be better than you can examine. Taking commitments or putting your hand out to newcomers at meetings is just as important for your recovery as it is for theirs. Giving back what was so freely given to you not only makes you stop thinking about yourself, but it gives you a natural high by being kind to someone else.
Check out a young people's group.
Alcoholic Anonymous offers a young person's version of the program in some of the larger cities that has the partial acronym of YPAA (Young People of Alcoholics Anonymous). Their purpose is to get the solution of recovery across while having fun doing it. They put together some fun activities that get young people to coexist with one another in other places besides meetings to show they can have fun without mind-altering substances. If your town does not offer YPAA, you can look for other alternatives such as a church youth group or your therapy group to plan sober fun.
Sponsor other teens in recovery.
By working the steps with a sponsor yourself, you already have the recovery knowledge you need to pass onto someone else. You may feel unqualified which is a normal fear although there may be someone that you could help through the steps to stay sober. Stick close to your sponsor so that you can get some good insight on what they did for you.
The holidays may be over, but your sobriety will have to continue one day at a time. Keep up the spirit of your sobriety and continue to pass it on!
Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis treatment facility that offers an array of services that range from fully supervised withdrawal management to residential treatment in hopes of gaining long-term sobriety and wellness. Adolescents learn about triggers and healthy replacements to regain a positive physical response to activities they can learn to enjoy again.
Call us today to start living in your recovery: 662-598-4214