Spending extended amounts of treatment is advised for the best success in recovery. Graduating through levels of care and living in sober living helps clients develop the life skills they need to live happy, healthy, productive lives in sobriety without room for drugs and alcohol. For those who return home eventually to all of their belongings, there is a need to clean up the past of addiction and make room for what’s possible in recovery. Here are five ways to spend five days cleaning house after treatment.
Manage everything with words
Your inbox and your mailbox are probably overflowing with information- both important and unimportant. Spend a day focusing on managing everything with words- your email, snail mail, magazines, bills, discharge papers, appointments, and more. All those unattended to words and thoughts can swirl around in your head. Delete what needs to be deleted, throw away what needs to be thrown away. In the process, make a list of what needs to be taken care of so you can get back to it later.
Put everything in a space
For this task it is always good to have a sober friend or support system with you so that if you do experience cravings, you can talk/feel it out with someone you trust. When Everything has somewhere to go, there is no reason for it not to be organized anymore. You’ve learned this lesson with your emotions through therapy and treatment. Unmanaged emotions aren’t unmanageable anymore once you identify what they are, get an idea of where they come from, and make a decision about how you want to feel them and what you want to do with the energy.
Clean out your spaces
Now that everything is in a place, you can start to clean out what’s in these spaces. Activities like cleaning out your closet and going through your belongings is lethargic and metaphorical. You’re letting go of the past to make room for the present and the future. Donate all of your unwanted belongings and clothes to a local non profit organization. There could even be a charity treatment center nearby.
Check out your cleanliness
“Clean house” is a term used often in recovery. Going through and sorting your belongings is one part of cleaning house. The other part is actually cleaning house. Check everything you use to be clean- from cleaning products to your towels, bed linens, and more. Give everything a good washing and clean down to start fresh. Addiction can create a mess. You’ll literally be cleaning up the wreckage of your past and creating a clean slate for yourself.
Eliminate any potential triggers
You might surprise yourself with how many places you were hiding drugs and alcohol. Start with the obvious places and work your way into the hidden places. Get rid of all potential triggers, which can include non-chemical substance items. For example, for those recovering from eating disorders, getting rid of a scale, diet books or other potential triggers would be helpful.
At Cypress Lake Recovery we carefully break down past behaviors and trauma that brought each client to us, we then rebuild everything from the ground up for a balanced, confident and rejuvenated you. We can be contacted on 409 331 2204.
