People in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction often come from environments where boundaries are blurred, unhealthy, or nonexistent. These skewed boundaries, in fact, often contribute to the development of substance abuse.

When your commitment to recovery is a threat to those you know and love, now, more than ever, it is necessary to navigate away from toxic relationships. Setting new, manageable boundaries can help you on a clear path to healing as you do the difficult work of maintaining sobriety.

1. Set Limits

You have the right to your own limits, feelings, and beliefs. If you have long been saddled with your family’s or significant other’s preferences and dysfunction – perhaps this is one of the reasons you turned to drugs or alcohol to cope – in holistic rehab you will learn how to reconnect with your own wants and needs and be true to them.

2. Establish How You Want to be Treated

Once you know how you want to be treated, you will need to make these limits clear to others. For example, you may no longer meet friends when they will be drinking socially, but you are willing to meet with them in a healthy, neutral environment. You may want to limit your meetings to only people who do not trigger your cravings so you are not further stretched in your determination to stay sober.

3. Speak Up

Your voice counts and it matters – to others, but most especially to yourself. If you feel like your boundaries have been violated, speak up honestly. Make it clear what your needs are, what your limits are, and do not be afraid to communicate them. The people who are good for your sober life will respect the borders you have created and do everything they can to not cross them.

4. Follow Your Gut

Whether you call it your gut, intuition, or inner voice, the uncomfortable feelings you get around certain people or places are a sign that one of your boundaries is being crossed. Trust your instincts. When you’re sober, your mind and feelings are sharper than ever, not dulled by drugs or alcohol. Your body gives you signals when something isn’t right. Listen. Honor yourself.

5. Enforce Your Boundaries

Even the people who respect the boundaries you have set for yourself may test them from time to time, whether intentionally or unwittingly. Especially for those who do so on purpose, there must be consequences. Repeated violations of your sober rules may mean that person can no longer be part of your life. Relationships can and do fracture when one person gets sober, whether that’s a romantic relationship, friendship, or familial. Stay true to what you need to maintain your sobriety.

6. Put Yourself First

When you set boundaries, you are putting yourself first – and that’s a good thing, especially on the journey to recovery and sobriety. Being focused on yourself and your needs is not a selfish action, it is an action of self-care, something that is usually missing from a person’s life when alcohol and drugs are available in abundance. It is difficult to break free of old patterns, but you will be rewarded with clarity, trust, and the ability to discover who you really are, free of drugs or alcohol.

7. Keep Your Boundaries

Others may challenge the boundaries you have set for yourself, but flexibility is not an option when it comes to sober limits. Stand firm in the boundaries you have set for yourself. You know that you need enough sleep, exercise, good food, spiritual connection, and engagement with other sober minds to keep yourself healthy. The boundaries you establish are your rules for yourself – they empower you and guide you to a healthier life and free you from resentment and toxic behaviors. When you keep your boundaries, you are more present in the relationship you have with yourself and, ultimately, that is the most important connection in your life.

Get Help Setting Your Boundaries in Holistic Rehab

Make the most of the work you are about to do in holistic recovery. Get the support you need to choose the best people to surround yourself with, set healthy boundaries, and establish wholesome, restorative relationships with the people in your life.

Learn more about holistic rehab and get the recovery support you need from the therapeutic team at Beachside Rehab. Contact our trained admissions counselors at 866-349-1770 to discuss your individual needs and how luxury rehab can work for you.

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