Dealing with an addiction is hard on everyone involved. Going through treatment at one of the many reputable rehab facilities available is the first step in obtaining the sobriety you crave. While that is the most crucial step in your recovery process, it’s important to realize that it’s not the only step to total sobriety. Once you have completed your inpatient or outpatient program, you still have to be careful. From getting stressed out, to being around people who use and abuse drugs and alcohol, there are certain things you just can’t do if you wish to stay sober. With that in mind, read on below for a few of the top tips to help you stay on the track to sobriety.

Take Precautions

The first thing you want to do is take precautions against falling off the wagon and drinking again. While it’s something that may never happen to you, it is possible, as every recovering addict knows. One way to protect yourself, and others, is to invest in an ignition interlock to ensure if you start drinking, you won’t be able to get behind the wheel and drive, jeopardizing the safety of yourself and others. Taking precautions and owning up to the fact that it might happen again is the first step in staying on the track of sobriety you have pledged to.

Lean on the People Who Love and Support You

Stress with the job, family, or just dealing with your addiction can easily push you back down a path you want to avoid. That is why it’s so important to have friends and family you can depend on when the going gets rough. You need someone, who no matter what time of the day or night it is, will support, love, and talk to you when it’s needed. That support can be the difference between refraining from taking that first drink and giving in.

Foster Healthy Relationships

The friends you had before you checked into rehab may be some of the best you have ever known, however, they need to be left in the pre-rehab days. You need to foster healthy relationships instead. Choose friends that don’t have an addiction, because the more you are around your drink or drug of choice, the easier it is for you to relapse.

Get on a Structured Schedule

A schedule is one of the best ways to relieve stress and not have idle time on your hands. Make up a schedule that you are comfortable with and stick to it.

Eat Right/Exercise

While this may seem like a no-brainer, it’s important to eat right and get enough exercise every day. Simply taking a walk in the mornings after breakfast and in the evenings after dinner can do wonders not only for your body but for your mind as well.

These are just a few tips to ensure you stay on that track to sobriety that you have worked so hard to achieve. From eating right to taking precautions that will prevent you from driving if you do give into temptation, these are tips that will help you live the sober life you want to live.