There is much more to addiction recovery than stopping the use of substances. When you are in recovery, it is important to shape your life to support the new path you are forging so that you will not be as tempted to fall back into old patterns and behaviors. One aspect of this is your environment.
Your Environment Impacts Your Recovery
Whether you are recovering from an injury or illness or recovering from addiction, your environment plays a big part in the recovery process. This is why it’s recommended that people recovering from addiction remove themselves from their addictive environments. By moving to a new location, you are able to take yourself out of the environment that contributed to your addictive behavior. The kind of environment you are in will impact how successful your recovery will be. If you are in a positive and recovery-focused environment, your recovery is more likely to be successful. If you are in the same environment you were in while you were in addiction, you may be less likely to stay sober.
An Environment Conducive to Recovery
The best way to be successful in your recovery is to put yourself in an environment that is conducive to recovery. It is important to be in an environment that supports the recovery process, including being around people who are non-addicts or recovering addicts. When you are in an environment that nurtures your recovery, you will have the support you need to continue living a healthy, sober life.
Ways to Improve Your Environment
Not every environment is perfect for the recovery process. If you are in recovery and want to make some positive changes to your environment, there are some things you can do to improve your environment.
Look at the people in your life
- Look at the people in your life. The people you surround yourself with should be supportive of your recovery. If there are people in your life who are addicts and they are not in recovery, it may be time to step away from the relationships so you can focus on your recovery.
Look at the culture around you
- Look at the culture around you. When you were in your addiction, you were probably living in a place that made it easy to stay in addiction. For example, you may have been living in a part of town where it was easy to get the substances you wanted. To help support your recovery, consider moving to a new location where you will not be in that environment anymore.
Look at your needs.
- Look at your needs. You have different needs in recovery than you did when you were in addiction. Think about what you need in order to be healthy, happy, and sober. Make changes in your environment so that those needs are met.
When you are working toward addiction recovery, it is important to be in an environment that nurtures your recovery needs and lifestyle choices. By making changes to your environment and the people in it, you can create a more supportive environment so that your recovery will be more likely to be successful.
