12 Key Signs of a Strong Recovery

Recovery is a long process with a variety of stages that indicate where you are in your work to overcome addiction. Knowing the signs of sobriety can help you assess your current position in this important journey.

Like any major life change, it takes time to settle into sobriety. Recovery isn’t really so much of a destination but a journey, though the path tends to get smoother the longer you travel it. It is likely that your realisation of your successful recovery will come on gradually, as you begin to notice some subtle signs of sobriety that indicate important shifts in how you manage stress, engage in relationships, and look at your life and the world around you. If you are wondering about how to determine your recovery success, look for whether you are seeing some of these key signs in yourself.

1. You have built a solid foundation in an addiction treatment centre

Making the decision to seek treatment for an addiction isn’t easy, but it is one of the best things that you can do to achieve and maintain a strong recovery. Why? Because you will have identified and addressed the root causes of your addiction, and now understand your triggers. You’ll also have learned new coping mechanisms and ways to manage stress, essential tools for preventing relapse. You may have also participated in a step-down programme, – where you continued to live at a supportive, drug and alcohol-free treatment centre but coming and going at your own pace to gradually reintegrate yourself into a daily routine without addiction. These rehab programs allow you to construct a solid foundation for a strong recovery that you can be confident in as you move forward in sobriety.

2. Your support group has become part of your routine – and your community

Whereas before you may have felt awkward, unsure, and anxious about sharing your fears, frustrations, and goals with your support group, you now see the benefits of group therapy towards recovery and are becoming more comfortable with your own role there. You value the group as a safe space where on your tough days you can get support from people who truly understand, and on your good days can contribute wisdom and experience to others.

3. You benefit from feedback

The early days of recovery are an emotional rollercoaster that can leave you feeling like a raw nerve. Feedback at that time can feel a lot like criticism, especially when you’re still transitioning out of the denial and the pain of addiction. As you move forward in your recovery, you’ll begin noticing that feedback is simply that – feedback. You can choose what is useful and constructive, and also mindfully reject feedback that doesn’t benefit your growth. Either way, you are able to handle it calmly and thoughtfully.

4. You’ve got a full schedule, with plenty of time for wellness

When you weren’t sober, your schedule was booked solid by your addiction. As you began recovery, you may have struggled with how to fill your time, and felt nervous about having too much time on your hands. Now you have established more of a routine, with time for meetings, therapy, and activities that you enjoy and help you de-stress. You are busy, but not overwhelmed, and you prioritise time that benefits both your physical and mental health.

5. You have got people you can count on

Your relationships with friends and/or family are getting stronger by the day, and you are increasingly able to be truthful and vulnerable in what you share with them. This isn’t to say that you won’t have times when things might be challenging – human relationships are complicated – but for the most part, when you need someone, there’s a core group of people you can count on to be there to listen and support you.

6. You are aware of and have moved away from co-dependency

Those people you can count on are not enablers, nor are they triggers for your addiction. You’re in relationships where you are clear in your identity, feel a sense of security and ease, and are not constantly seeking validation or external boosts to your self-esteem. You have accepted your responsibility for how you feel and act, can advocate for your needs, and can say “no” – and those around you can do the same.

7. You are not substituting one addiction for another

Your approach to life is balanced and diverse – you don’t have just one thing that drives you, defines you, or is your go-to for coping with stress. It is not uncommon for people to beat a substance addiction, but to substitute it with something else that looks positive from the outside, but continues the same unhealthy thought patterns, like exercise or even success.

A success addict, for example, will appear to be a dedicated worker fully committed to their craft, but will rely solely on their work for a sense of happiness and fulfilment, neglecting other areas of life that can bring joy, satisfaction and a feeling of success. This success addiction results in the same laser-focus as other addictions, and can cause negative impacts in personal relationships. For those who are truly in a stage of strong recovery, success and happiness come from many sources.

8. You extend forgiveness to yourself

Despite your best efforts and intentions, you will still make some mistakes from time to time. But rather than letting it stir up those old toxic feelings of blame and shame that thrived during addiction, you are now able to take in those mistakes, find constructive solutions, and move on. You have found the balance between accountability and self-forgiveness where recovery fully blossoms.

9. You are thankful

In recovery, you have battled the formidable disease of addiction, and have learned how to manage it so that you are back in control of your life and your health. You have every reason to be grateful for the present moment and the potential future, as you’ve seen what the alternative could be. You have gotten yourself to where you are, and you are thankful for you and every other person who helped you along the way.

10. You’ve made progress through the addiction recovery stages

One well-known model documents five key stages as people go through a major behavioural shift like addiction recovery. These stages include:

Precontemplation – in denial about addiction
Contemplation –recognising that the addiction is a problem
Preparation – identifying a way to recover and preparing to embark on that path
Action – actively participating in treatment for addiction
Maintenance – doing work to ensure that recovery is sustainable

If you are able to see your movement through these five stages, this is another indicator of success in recovery.

11. You are comfortable with being in recovery

Early in your recovery there are a lot of things that can feel awkward – how to spend your free time, how to decline a drink, how to talk about your sobriety. But at this point in your recovery, you have got this managed, and there’s an ease when you talk about your recovery. In fact, you are finding there are moments where you want to share a bit about your sobriety, simply because it’s made life so much better.

12. You are satisfied with who you are

You like the person you are. You know you’re not perfect, and despite your best efforts you accept that you’re going to make mistakes from time to time. This understanding doesn’t compromise your self-esteem or trigger avoidance. You’re bolstered by your resilience, and your determination to continue to be the best version of yourself.

How The Dawn Can Help You Find Alcohol and Drug Recovery Success

The Dawn Wellness Centre and Rehab Thailand focuses on a holistic, integrated approach to recovery from addiction. Our clients have access to a range of effective individual and group psychotherapies as well as proven wellness practices like yoga, meditation, fitness training, and massage. We work closely with each one of our clients to develop a personalised recovery plan adapted to your specific needs and goals.

Four important factors in a successful recovery revolve around building a strong professional and personal community of support, including:

Going to a professional addiction treatment centre
Participating in a support group
Engaging in individual therapy or other types of aftercare support post-rehab
Opening up to family and friends you can trust and who will be compassionate and honest with you

The Dawn offers long-term rehab that focuses on in-depth treatment and further guidance through the continuum of care, which includes detox, addiction and mental health treatment, a step-down programme, and an aftercare plan. This means that instead of spending just four weeks in treatment and then heading home, the rehab model is extended, flexible, all-inclusive and can be shaped based on the unique needs of the client. Towards the end of the client’s treatment, The Dawn also engages the family in a series of educational and clinical consultation sessions, either on-site or remotely, to help ensure lasting positive outcomes.

Call The Dawn today to learn more about how we can help you attain success in recovery.

12 Key Signs of a Strong Recovery and the Power of Addiction Treatment Centers