The path to sustained recovery is never easy. One just starts to recover from the strains of detox and a myriad of concerns arise, like educating oneself about addiction, learning about coping measures, finding supportive living environments (like Sober Surroundings), the various choices of 12-step self-help groups, and a whole list of other aspects to start the ongoing process of recovery. But one of the key factors that should not be overlooked is the importance of taking care of yourself to the ability to maintain your sobriety.

In dealing with maintained sobriety, the basic rules of healthy living apply: eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep.

Eating right in recovery

This is not limited to just skipping the fast foods and Twinkees. It’s important that you maintaining a regular, well-balanced diet. Sticking to as regular schedule of moderate sized, nutritious meals is key to eating right while maintaining your sobriety. Of course, like anyone else, you have to figure out how to balance that with the demands of the workplace or shuttling children from school to soccer (or piano lessons). But, the importance of taking care of yourself can’t be understated.

Getting Sleep to Support Your Maintained Recovery

Get sufficient, good-quality sleep each night. Try to maintain a regular bedtime. Your body craves consistency and it helps you wake up refreshed, renewed and ready to take on the day.

Exercising and de-stressing

Schedule some time each day to be physically active. This may seem less critical to people in physically active jobs, but scheduling time for leisure exercise is important to help you de-stress.

For anyone, these are all crucial elements for staying healthy, but staying healthy is closely tied to staying sober. Maintaining good health evens out your emotions and lets you better focus on your recovery needs.

When you feel good, it lifts self-esteem and confidence, which are factors shown to help thwart relapse.

In these three simplified steps, you may notice a pattern: Schedule. As you are starting a new, sober life for yourself, start out with a plan (and a schedule) to be healthy, happy and sober.