Returning to a Routine

The New Year is here and the holiday chaos is behind us…well, sort of. The residual dysregulation of holiday vacation still lingers. For some, their children have not yet returned to school. For others, they have been neglecting their workout routine, eating differently, spending too much time on electronics, or socializing too much. While these changes have an impact on most individuals, they are especially challenging for those in recovery from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs).

When getting sober, it is common for individuals to talk about the importance of maintaining a balanced behavioral schedule and routine. Active addiction can often bring with it a loss of structure and an increase in life chaos that can feel unsafe and disorienting. Therefore, the antithesis of this is to create a sense of routine that can decrease stress and increase productivity.

There are various ways that individuals in early sobriety create this routine in their lives. They often have the support of a therapist, treatment program and/or self-help meetings (i.e., A.A., N.A., SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, Celebrate Recovery, etc.) Many individuals in active addiction do not have containment or boundaries around their daily schedule. The main priority is using their substance of choice, and their days and weeks may rotate around that goal. This also includes the mental obsession that essentially "hijacks" their brain and becomes a focal point, even when they are trying to adhere to some form of a schedule. This mental obsession can veer those with SUDs to get off task and to become myopic in their search or use of their substance of choice. Therefore, the road to creating a routine in early sobriety takes external support, because change and returning to a life of order can be so challenging. The following are some anecdotal, 12-Step, and behavioral scheduling suggestions focused on getting started with a routine in early sobriety:

• Schedule your day around a recovery activity, treatment, or meeting
• Accept that you may be busier because of adding recovery activities
• Prioritize sobriety
• Complete a wellness plan that includes goals for recovery: vocational, social, environmental, physical, and psychological
• Scheduling sleep
• Add small rituals to your day, such as reading recovery-related material, pausing or praying, and making your bed
• Regulate meals and snacks to keep blood sugar steady
• Socialize in a balanced way and with healthy peers
• Do the opposite of what your mind may tell you to do
• Create healthy boundaries with friends and family

The holiday season may bring a lot of enjoyment and celebration; it can also bring irregularity in terms of schedule, routine, use of electronics, socializing, wellness and sleep. These shifts can be hard for those in recovery to cope with given how much effort many have put toward creating a sense of structure. For those who are in recovery from an SUD and need to "reboot," the following are some anecdotal, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical therapy-integrated suggestions of ways to return to your regular recovery routine:

• Talk with others to see that you are not alone in this struggle
• Use a Google calendar, iCalendar, or paper calendar to start your own behavioral schedule that includes work, exercise, meetings, socializing, and other activities
• Try to remain positive that this uncomfortable feeling of being off-schedule will pass once you get back to your routine
• Attend a self-help meeting
• Reach out to sober supports
• Engage in the opposite action of what your dysregulated brain is thinking
• Restart your week any day or time
• Return to your small rituals that may have started your day off right
• Set boundaries with loved ones and peers around your needs following this stressful time
• Schedule in “recharge” time or time to increase productivity to jump-start your New Year
• Ask for support with childcare
• Expect to feel some type of letdown or decompression following the holiday season and know that “this too shall pass”
• Do an electronic or social media cleanse or set time limits
• Remember that it is alright to say “no” to plans
• Engage in self-care, such as journaling, exercise, meditation, etc.
• Start to readjust your sleep schedule by setting alarms day and night
• Sit down and take just one step in starting a new project that you have planned for 2023

The key to long-term recovery is the ability to “recommit” to all areas of this process. Re-acclimating to life after the holidays is a time to apply this concept and to know that many others are having the same types of confusing emotions. These emotions can include, but are certainly not limited to, irritability, restlessness, lack of focus, confusion, craving stability, overwhelm, stress, and more. However, by starting to return to routine, these emotions will likely subside and you will be able to enjoy the beginning of a new year.