by Amy Alexander

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2009

I know for a fact that the hardest part of recovering from drugs and alcohol is not to relapse. I ,myself, is a recovered drug user. I have been clean for almost five years now. I thought the hardest part was admitting that I had a problem and going away to get help but I was wrong cause the hardest part was coming home.

You see when you are in rehab you learn that you are sick and the ways to deal with temptation so that you will stay clean when you go home. Everything starts to make sense to you again and you will think that you are ready to go home. Then you will go home full of hope and believing that everything is going to be different this time but stop right here and let me tell you a painful secrete that I learned the hard way.

First off, if you are going back home to the same old friends that you use to party with , you will not stay sober for very long. Even if you believe that you are strong enough to be around them , you can not do it. This was one of the hardest parts of staying sober for me because I had allot of friends that used drugs and I cared about them. But I realized the first time I tried to stay sober and help a friend of mine that i was not strong enough to be around him knowing that he was still using drugs. Through me tyring to help him I went back to using and had to start all over again. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying to be mean to anyone. I am simply saying not to hang around with them, it is OK to say hi when you pass by them in the store or some other public place.

And another good thing to do is to keep yourself busy, find a job or go back to work as soon as possible. Also find things like fishing, 4-wheeler riding, or horse back ridding to do in your spare time so that you don't get board. Hang out with friends that don't use drugs or alcohol and find new ones that you can feel comfortable talking to.

It also helps to have someone to talk to when you are feeling like you want use again. Maybe join a NA or AA class for support. It helps to be able to share your feelings with someone that will better understand the things you are going through. Your loved ones will probably want to be there for you and that is great but remember they may not always understand the things you are in going through and that is were your support group will help out.

One more thing there will be people everywhere you go that may want to judge you for the things that you did wrong in your life or even put you down for trying to better your life but if you truly want to better yourself don't let them cause you to relapse. Keep your head up and stay focused on your future. And keep reminding yourself of all the reasons you have to stay sober.

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