Tag Archive for: companionship

The Power of Community in Recovery

Community Begins with Rehabilitation at Fresh Start of California

Recovery requires strength and courage to walk away from the friends, community, and family that you have been around all of your life. It asks you to begin anew and create a new set of friends, a new life, and a new community. Walking away from the past leaves a void, one that creates an opportunity for a new, healthier, stable community.

The community found in a supportive family, sober friends, and rehabilitation mentors is powerful. It provides the platform for stability and confidence in sobriety. At Fresh Start of California, our team of Orange County recovery professionals works with you to create a tailor-made recovery program. We understand that each patient needs a different community in which to thrive.

If you are ready to live a new life, in sobriety, contact the team at Fresh Start of California. We are here for you 24/7.

The Opportunity in a Sober Community

Forming a community is a key component to a successful, long-term recovery from addiction. Although you have to detach from unhealthy, addiction-based relationships, recovery creates the opportunity for stronger relationships based on sobriety. This new community gives you the power to take on each new day knowing that you are supported by people who believe in you.

A recovery community provides an opportunity for:

  • Providing the “soul food” of giving back to those less fortunate. Helping those who are less fortunate has the power to warm the heart when you may be feeling weary.
  • Helping others who are new to recovery. As your time in sobriety passes, you can help others see the light that you once did not see. You may be the one person who can inspire change in a faltering addict.
  • Enjoying socializing again. You may feel very alone at the start of your recovery. Knowing that you have to leave old friends behind, or even family members may make socializing seem like a far-off dream. A sober community is a stable and safe place to spread your socializing wings again.
  • Developing a sense of purpose and belonging. You may find, once you uncover your true self from beneath addiction, that you have a purpose that makes you unique and amazing. Belonging to a community that has a spirit of gratitude is a very powerful thing.
  • Learning new skills. Rehabilitation and recovery change how time is spent, offering the opportunity to learn new skills, try new hobbies, and do new activities. In these times, you form bonds out of mutual excitement and curiosity.
  • Revealing commonalities. Community shows you that you are not alone, which can prove to be of great value if you are struggling or need an understanding ear to listen.
  • Offering examples of successful recovery. Mentors, sober counselors, and sponsors can give you hope when you have none of your own. Their success stories may be what you need to get through a rough patch.
  • Holding you accountable. Accountability to yourself and others may be something you did not worry about in active addiction. It also may be something some feel is a burden, but being accountable builds trust, character, and confidence as you walk through life.

Find Your Power in Sobriety

Fresh Start of California offers a different path to our patients than the one they know. Our Orange County detox and recovery teams provide individual and group therapies, counseling, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation that can build a strong foundation for a sober life. We are here to support you in becoming the best version of yourself. One that is clear-minded, confident in decisions, and able to do anything that you put your mind to.

Take the first step in recovery. Call the Orange County recovery specialists at Fresh Start of California now.

 

Recover with a Furry Friend: It’s National Adopt a Pet Day!

April 30th, 2020 is National Adopt a Pet Day

Transitioning from a treatment facility to living on your own can be difficult and scary but having a pet with you can make you feel less alone. Adopting a dog, cat or other pet is beneficial in recovery and can teach skills that you will carry with you into your life of sobriety. National Adopt a Pet Day is a day to recognize the vast availability of pets that are in desperate need of a home. These pets are in shelters, adoption and foster homes, and they are waiting to give you the love and affection that can help you through your darkest days. Many pet stores and animal supply stores host events for the April 30th events and display animals that are ready to find a home.

Fresh Start of California’s recovery experts know how intimidating it can be to leave a group treatment facility and branch out on your own. Our Orange County addiction specialists can help you take steps toward sobriety while offering the resources you need when you are ready to face the world with a renewed spirit.

Contact our team to discuss how our Orange County rehabilitation center can be the place where you find hope and start a new life.

5 Ways that Adopting a Pet Can Help Your Recovery

If you are unsure about how a pet can help you in your recovery, now is the time to dig a little deeper. The joy of coming home to a happy pet who can’t wait to give you his or her undivided attention is a great motivator to keep moving forward. What do pets have to offer?

Here are 5 benefits to adopting a rescue pet while transitioning from recovery to sober life:

  1. Unconditional love. Pets are there for you no matter what. They do not judge you; they do not criticize; they do not hold grudges. Pets want your attention and love and are happy to receive it. They show unconditional love and are eager to please, which helps create a lasting bond. Because they are incapable of enabling, you don’t have to worry about their unconditional love becoming a crutch or a risk of relapse.
  2. Encourage healthy behavior. Pets encourage us to get out of bed and get moving. Whether it is just too feed them, change a litter box, or get outside for a walk, pets help us establish a routine and to get exercise. Dogs need walks and so do dog owners!
  3. Stress relief. Petting a furry friend, playing fetch, playing with a pet toy and other interactive activities with your pet can relieve stress. These activities help to lower stress levels while increasing feel-good chemicals in the brain.
  4. Teach us about ourselves. Pets make great mirrors of emotion. They can sense if we are stressed, fearful, excited, sad, happy or in love. They also will react without a filter, so if you scare your pet with your behavior, they will let you know it. Adversely, if you show your pet love and affection, they will return it tenfold.
  5. Teach responsibility. Pets teach us personal, committal, financial and relational responsibility. They teach us how to clean up after someone, how to remember to feed (eat) daily meals and how to stay healthy. Your pet’s well-being is a reflection of your commitment to mental and physical health.

Adopt and Discover the Love of a Pet

The importance of adopting over walking into a pet store or going to a breeder and buying a pet is the chance for a new life. Pets that are rescued or surrendered are a lot like the brave souls in recovery. They are lost and feel out of control. Some may feel that they were given up on. Adopting a pet, on National Adopt a Pet Day or any other day, gives these loving animals the chance to feel loved, feel wanted and thrive in their new home. You deserve love, you deserve hope, you deserve a second chance.

Call Fresh Start of California today. Our team of Orange County addiction and recovery specialists are ready to be there for you.