Common Obstacles Patients Face in Recovery

As you navigate through your recovery journey, you may experience new challenges and difficulties. Learning how to manage these challenges and overcome them is key to a successful recovery from addiction and substance use. At Victory Recovery Partners, a network of five addiction and recovery centers on Long Island, New York, we help our patients to overcome these challenges and lead a positive and healthy post-recovery life. 

One challenge that arises while becoming sober is the ability to form new coping strategies. Prior to entering recovery, you may have dealt with anxiety, depression, and other negative feelings by consuming alcohol or using drugs. Our experienced team of behavioral health counselors will work with you to develop new coping strategies that you can implement to help you handle difficult situations and cravings.  

Similarly to developing new coping strategies, another obstacle patients face is finding healthy and productive ways to address the trauma and shame they often feel due to life’s negative and difficult circumstances. As explained above, patients tend to use drugs and alcohol as a coping strategy. In a similar way, drugs and alcohol may be used to deal with past trauma. Our goal at Victory is to help our patients manage their feelings and understand the root causes of their trauma – without using drugs and alcohol to deal with the trauma.  

Another obstacle and challenge that many patients in recovery face is forming a support system that can provide that needed guidance and comfort as one navigates down the road to recovery. This includes putting together a group of friends and family members that you can rely on for when you need help most. It may be difficult to open up to friends and family about your issues. However, there is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Rather, you should feel proud that you have taken the steps to become sober and drug-free – that's a major accomplishment.  

Preventing a relapse is another challenge faced by those who are going through the recovery process. There are many obstacles in life that may lead to a relapse. This includes cravings for the drugs, stress, anxiety, and social situations that cause unwanted negative feelings. By working with our behavioral health counselors, we will help you learn ways to handle those intense feelings that may cause you to relapse. In addition to working with our counselors, group therapy is also helpful as you will be able to open up to those who are in a similar position to yours.  

Upon becoming sober, you may feel overwhelmed by having to enter the “real world” again. This could mean that you now need to become employed. There are many options available to those who have previous substance use issues. For example, at Victory, we employ CRPAs which stand for Certified Recovery Peer Advocates. This position is generally held by someone who has gone through recovery themselves, and they now want to help others do the same. As you plan to re-enter the workforce, becoming a CRPA may be a good option for you. 

Victory Recovery Partners is a network of five addiction and recovery centers on Long Island, New York. Our services, all provided under one roof, include behavioral health, MAT (medication-assisted treatment), wellness, and psychiatric services. Our experienced behavioral health counselors will work with you to help you overcome the challenges and obstacles faced when going through recovery. At Victory patients come first, everything else follows. For more information, please visit our website www.victoryrp.com