Recovery from substance use disorder and alcoholism is a life-long journey, and the pathway to freedom looks different for everyone. 

Recovery and sobriety are hard work –– but they can be maintained. 

Seneca Health Services is poised to help, and we can help you regain your life. Read on to discover five basic rules of recovery and how you can get started on your journey to sobriety. 

Rule 1: A New Life

The initial step and perhaps the most important rule of recovery is a change in the environment that led to dependence. And from there, a total renovation of your life.

The road to recovery begins and ends by creating a new life for yourself. Without this first step, consistently sustaining sobriety grows increasingly challenging. When individuals refuse to change their lives from the inside out, those initial patterns that led to substance dependence and misuse eventually catch back up to them. 

This step should not be seen as an all-or-nothing activity but as a gradual change from one degree of misuse to a greater degree of freedom. Over time, these small changes will lead to long-lasting ones. 

Rule 2: Honesty

Sadly, most addictive lifestyles require a degree of deception. Many individuals with substance use disorders are dishonest about purchasing substances, selling substances, hiding substances, and ultimately, denying the consequences of their behavior –– often hiding their plans to use again.

Over time, these individuals begin to lie to themselves. Several clinical studies have proven that clients who are completely honest about their situation are more apt to take on the road to recovery.

Rule 3: Ask For Help

Most people begin their road to recovery by trying their best to do it alone; this can result from grief, shame, or the desire to prove their control over the dependence that has dominated them for so long. Others seek to prove that they are not as unhealthy as some think. 

Joining a self-help group has been shown to increase the chances of long-term recovery significantly. Being honest before others can help you live in the light of accountability.

You don’t have to do it alone. People are willing to help. 

Rule 4: Self-Care

Understanding the importance of self-care is a large part of a person’s success in recovery. In fact, the failure to practice self-care often leads to substance misuse. 

Most people “use” to escape, relax, or reward themselves. Someone suffering from a substance use disorder views these three pillars as the primary benefits of using. Acknowledging these benefits in therapy and discovering a plan of better self-care can be the kind of motivation necessary to move forward in recovery. 

Rule 5: Be Inflexible

Once patients have been in recovery for a while, they are divided into two categories –– non-users and denied users. Non-users are ready to move on; denied users are waiting to return. 

This rule reminds individuals in recovery to resist their old ways and to refuse to insist on a new way of sobriety. Stick to the plan. No loopholes. Be inflexible with every step, and hold yourself accountable for why you sought help in the first place. Patients who compromise at this point will often find it difficult to return to their original plan, or worse, enter into a vicious cycle of “quitting and using” that can be detrimental to their health. 

We Can Help 

Crosswinds Center

Located in Maxwelton, West Virginia, Crosswinds Center offers various services and amenities to serve its residents during detoxification and crisis restabilization. 

Administered within a community basis, Crosswinds Center is a treatment facility serving individuals who require short-term intensive behavioral health treatment, crisis stabilization, and withdrawal management programs. This includes 24/7 residential support, medical services, therapy, and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). 

Read our related blog, Crosswinds Center: Crisis Stabilization and Detoxification Center in Maxwelton, West Virginia, to learn more about Crosswinds Center. 

Recovery Ridge

Located in Summersville, West Virginia, Recovery Ridge is a short-term substance use residential treatment facility that offers a multidisciplinary team approach to treating adult males with a substance use disorder.

The residents of Recovery Ridge are provided with a safe place to live while receiving intensive treatment. Our medical staff supports residents with MAT and psychiatric medication. Peer recovery is also an essential part of this process. 

Read our related blog, Recovery Ridge: Substance Use Residential Treatment in Summersville, West Virginia, to learn more about Recovery Ridge. 

Take Your First Step to Recovery | Seneca Health Services

At Seneca Health Services, we believe recovery is possible. For over 40 years, we have provided behavioral health services throughout southeastern West Virginia. We are passionate about helping our community heal. If you or a loved one is battling a substance use disorder and wants to receive help, our team is ready to help. 

“Recovery makes you wiser and work harder. You will laugh at the little things and laugh at the chaos life brings. You will know that you are a survivor.” 

If you’d like to learn more about the Crosswinds Center or Recovery Ridge, contact Seneca Health at 888.SENECA9 or use the link provided. We know it’s hard to take the first step –– let us help.