We all get surprised from time to time. Some of those surprises are good (a celebration for your birthday that your friends kept secret, for example); other surprises are bad (a car repair bill significantly higher than you were expecting, for example); and some surprises are just a bit odd (a concert band playing rubber chickens as instruments, for example).
For a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, surprises of any kind have the potential to be problematic. That is because much of the work of recovery is built around routines. Those routines include going to your 12-Step (or other recovery program) meetings, getting regular exercise, making time for an engaging hobby, sticking to a bedtime, ensuring you consistently schedule meetups with friends and family, and more.
These sorts of routines are foundational to recovery because they provide support for your physical health, your mental health, or both. Better physical and mental health, in turn, support your recovery. But no matter how many routines you have or how disciplined you are about sticking to them, you are still going to be surprised at least once in a while. As a result, you need to have some strategies that will help you deal with a surprise in ways that do not undermine your recovery.
Let’s consider what those strategies might include.
Surprises That Lead to Anxiety
A surprise can lead to significant feelings of anxiety. That is true even when the surprise is a positive one, because the unexpected can feel like uncertainty—and uncertainty is often a cause of anxiety.
Anxiety can be a problem for a person in recovery because it can tempt them to turn to drugs or alcohol to lessen the worried and overwrought emotions they might be feeling. It is, of course, far better to employ other substance-free strategies to address the anxiety.
Those strategies might include doing a short mindfulness exercise, spending a few moments employing the box breathing technique, or using a countdown exercise that engages your senses to slow the bubbling up of anxiety.
Taking a few moments to regain your equilibrium after a surprise is always a good idea.
Surprises That Lead to Anger
Some surprises do not lead to anxiety; they lead to anger, an emotion that can be an enemy to recovery. Intense feelings of anger can cause a person to feel out of control and cause them to lash out in unhelpful ways. If you react to surprise with anger, you may damage important relationships that could well be hard to heal in the future.
The techniques we mentioned above can help you set aside anger. So, too, can a commitment to leaving the room when anger threatens to overwhelm you. What you absolutely do not want to do is return to drugs or alcohol, whether to cool your anger or mask your regret for how you behaved while angry.
Surprises that Lead to Excitement
Neither anxiety nor anger are pleasant emotions, so it is easy to see why you have to have a plan for addressing them when they are triggered due to a surprise. But even a more positive emotion—like excitement—caused by a surprise can pose a risk to your recovery.
Why would that be? Well, the feelings of elation that might be triggered by an exciting surprise may make a person feel invincible—or at least like a quick dabble with drugs or alcohol will not be a problem. The excitement engendered by a surprise can make you feel like celebrating, and celebrating with substances can be tempting in such a moment.
Keeping a level head, therefore, is essential. Of course, you should celebrate positive surprises. Just make sure you do not invite drugs or alcohol to your party. Instead, find healthy, meaningful ways to mark the fact that something good has happened. Enjoy that feeling—a feeling better than any that could be offered by drugs and alcohol.
It Should Be No Surprise That The Aviary Can Help
We are confident you will not be surprised by the news that getting treatment for a substance use disorder is the best way to ensure you can reclaim your life from drugs or alcohol. You might be surprised, however, to learn that The Aviary Recovery Center, located near St. Louis, Missouri, is consistently recognized as one of the best treatment facilities in the nation.
We are committed to a holistic approach to treatment, which increases the likelihood of a lasting recovery. By focusing on your physical health, your mental health, and your spiritual health (which is not necessarily tied to a specific religious practice), our program allows you to leave drugs or alcohol in the past as you move forward with confidence.
We will see you through medically supervised detoxification as well as our robust rehabilitation program, during which we can also address any mental health disorders that might be entangled with your substance use disorder. When your time in treatment comes to an end, you can still count on The Aviary Recovery Center to provide ongoing support and resources designed to keep you connected with others who understand what you have been through and what you are going through now.
When you are ready to make a change, we are ready to help. No surprise there.
