When you first get sober, eating enough, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep are extra important. The premise of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is that you must have these things in place before you can pay attention to higher needs like community, meaning-making, or self-actualization.
This is true for everyone, and particularly so in early recovery. Coming off substances can throw your body off balance, even if you don’t have any major withdrawal symptoms. It’s important to take care of your body as it goes through the early stages of healing. Many people neglect basic self-care in active addiction; recovery is an opportunity to do things differently. From experience, it can take time to learn this skill, and the process may not be linear. That’s okay.
Recovery is a process of healing. As you get further into this process, that could look like figuring out what is meaningful to you, repairing relationships, addressing the underlying reasons you used substances, forgiving yourself, and much other deeper work. However, early sobriety is a time to take extra care and focus on acute, physical healing.
During active addiction, people may also lose access to things like shelter, employment, relationships, health, a support network. It’s more than okay if you’re not figuring out what’s meaningful to you while you’re just trying to get by (while also trying to get sober).
Even in longer term recovery, there may be times you move away from basic self-care. When people are stressed, sometimes things like eating nutritious foods or getting adequate sleep fall by the wayside. At over seven years sober, I’m currently grieving and have eaten peanut butter m&m’s as meals; it happens. In difficult times, it can be helpful to pause and think about whether you have eaten enough, had enough water, or gotten enough sleep. Recommitting to these things will give you the ability to tackle the deeper issues.
If you are struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder, there is help and hope. TruHealing Centers offers high-quality treatment for addiction and mental health disorders in facilities across the country. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—will help you find healthy ways to cope with stress. Call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.