Building a Strong Recovery Foundation

A sense of safety sets the stage for long-term recovery

Recovery and healing from addiction diseases is not a linear process. The process takes time and you have to give yourself that time. You will probably experience steps forwards and backwards, as well as, high points and low points. You are deserving of all the time it takes to recovery and heal, so allow yourself to take all the time you need.

Once you allow yourself to take the time you need, you may be wondering how to structure that time. Questions like “Where do I even begin?” or “What does recovery even mean?” may be swirling through your head. Other thoughts like “How can I even focus on recovery, when I have so much going on?” may also be there as well.

And that is ok. All of those thoughts are normal to have. Deciding to stop using is a huge life change. Your mind, body and spirit have grown to be so dependent on the substance, that it can seem near impossible to think about how to live without it. But you can, and you will.

Recovery has many different elements to it. It’s not just stopping the substance use, it’s looking at what was causing you to want to use and all the areas of your life that are affected by it. Maybe your financials are in shambles, your health needs some help and connections to your family and friends are strained. These areas may be where you want to start working, but it would be wise to consider what is underneath these layers first. Sometimes, our basic needs and a sense of feeling safe are not being addressed. Having a sense of safety in your well being is crucial to setting yourself up for recovery success.

The Foundations for Recovery

Here are some basic needs to think about. Use the time you are giving yourself to prioritize and structure these in a way that helps you feel safe to move forward in your recovery with a strong foundation in place.

Your Living Space

Think about your living situation. Is it safe for you to live there? Is it comfortable and clean? Is it free from damage, and provides sufficient protection from the outside elements? Is it free from stressors and things that trigger you to want to use?

Without this basic need, your mind will divert most of its attention to how you are going to protect yourself. It will be difficult to reinforce your good recovery habits when you are focused on staying safe at this most basic level. Having a safe home/living environment will provide you with a space to relax and feel safe to work on your recovery.

Your Food Supply

Think about how you obtain food, what you obtain and how you prepare it. Do you have access to food markets? Do they have a good supply of nutritious foods? Are you able to purchase or obtain enough to last you a week? Do you know how to prepare meals for yourself? Do you have access to clean water and can drink enough during the day? Do you know what’s nutritious vs. what’s not?

Without good nutritious foods, you may feel slow and unable to concentrate on maintaining your recovery. Being nourished will help your mind feel comfortable and able to focus on your recovery.

Your Ability to Go Where You Need & See Who You Need

Think about how you get to where you need to go. Do you have access to your own means of transportation? Is public transportation available? Do you know how to use public transportation? Do you have internet access to do virtual visits? Do you feel safe with all these means of going and seeing who you need to see?

As many say, the opposite of addiction is connection. Recovery won’t be truly possible unless you can connect with your family, friends, support groups, therapists, doctors and all the other supports in your life. Whether it is in person or via virtual visiting, feeling connected to your supports offers one of the strongest senses of safety we can have.

Your Sleep Habits

Think about what your sleep habits look like. Are you able to fall asleep quickly? Are you able to stay asleep for 7–8 hours at night? Do you feel rested when you wake up and begin the day?

Lack of good quality sleep is detrimental to your overall functioning and well-being. Sleep allows the body and brain to heal. It also allows us to consolidate all the memories and learnings from the day so that we begin to incorporate them subconsciously. This is what helps form good recovery habits and behaviors.

Putting it All Together

These four elements can serve as the basis for your long-term recovery. Prioritizing these needs upfront and doing the best you can to address them may provide you with a strong foundation for your recovery. When these are all set in place, your mind can devote its attention to learning new skills for recovery. This most basic need of safety sets the stage for you to build your skills into good recovery habits and then behaviors; behaviors are what transform lives. That is what recovery is.

It is the transformation of feeling unsafe and using substances for a sense of safety, to having the resources, skills and knowledge that allow for you to be actually safe and no longer need the substance. It is freeing. As you move forward, you can be confident because you took the time to build a solid foundation of safety. One that will stand strong as you continue to move forward.