If you are working to overcome an addiction to drugs or
alcohol, one of the most effective steps you can take toward getting clean and
sober is for you to put a greater degree of order into your life. By
establishing a regular routine, you can regain a greater degree of control over
your life. Getting your life back under control is important at this stage
because, after all, that is what you are doing in quitting your substance
abuse. In many ways addiction is an experience of being unable to control the cravings
and the compulsions to take the next drink or get the next fix, and when you
find yourself in the grips of an addiction, you are likely to feel like your
life is simply out of control. Your actions throughout the day are determined
by your need to get drunk or high, and unless you keep up with the addiction,
you may face a world of turmoil and physical and emotional suffering in the
face of withdrawals.
Now is your time to make a fresh start and begin ordering
your life in a positive manner, and establishing a routine to follow on a daily
basis should be one of the first steps you take in this direction.
Lead a Purpose-Driven Life
To make things simple, consider breaking your day up into
three segments: The start, the middle and the finish. These three will not
necessarily be even, since the bulk of your day will occur in the middle
section. All of them, however, are important. The actions you take just after
you awake in the morning set the stage for how the rest of the day will go, to
a large degree. With this in mind, you should begin making a habit of setting
the alarm clock earlier. It may be difficult at the outset, but you will soon
discover that giving yourself more time to start the day pays dividends later.
Rather than starting your day out by rushing around in a
stressful hurry, you will be giving yourself time to ease into wakefulness, to
prepare a good breakfast and to set your day in order. The morning is also a
good time to review your goals for the day, the week, and longer. In your new,
well-structured life, you will do well to set goals and targets for yourself,
since this provides purpose to your actions rather than leaving you hustling on
a hamster wheel and looking for some way to fill the void left by having no
idea of where you are going. Further, you will be able to enjoy the
satisfaction of accomplishment as you start checking items off your list, and
you may even find that you are developing a new -- and entirely healthy --
addiction to achieving your goals.
Stick To Your Routine
In addition to orienting the rest of your day towards the
pursuit of your goals, you can use the time you now have in the morning to do
some exercise, which helps to jumpstart your metabolism and give you a boost of
energy, as well as working to improve your physique and health. As your day
progresses through work and into the evening, make it a point to stay focused
on your priorities, rather than letting small things get in the way, no matter
how important they may seem at the moment. The most part of having a routine is
maintaining the routine, and you can’t let yourself get thrown off
track. Allowing yourself to be buffeted around by other people’s problems and
“emergencies” only leads to exhaustion and a lack of accomplishment in your own
life, and it is a sure road to stress. Another policy which you should
implement is to avoid promising more than you know that you are capable of
doing. By operating in this manner, you can ensure that when you surprise the
people who count on you, it will be the pleasant surprise of finding out that
you have fulfilled your promises more quickly than expected or that you have
done more than you said you would, rather than the surprise of learning that
you have let them down.
Include Proper Diet And Rest In Your Routine
As important as it is for you to incorporate practices into
your routine which will help you improve your mental and emotional health, it
is also highly beneficial to take steps to achieve a better state of physical
health. Most people simply overlook the fact that they have to take care of
their bodies, just the same as taking care of their car, house, and other
possessions. Quitting drugs or alcohol is an excellent first step in this
direction -- you are no longer actively poisoning your body -- but now you need
to begin rebuilding your body and repairing the damage that has been
done. In addition to drugs and alcohol, you should cut sugar and caffeine out
of your diet, and replace these things with plenty of fresh fruits and
vegetables. Try to fit in some exercise every day, whether it is during your
morning routine or perhaps after work.
Finally, get to bed early. It is easy to get wrapped up in
things such as watching TV or surfing the web, only to find that it is well
after midnight before you finally turn the lights out, but every minute that
you stay up late is a minute of sleep you are burning up. Don’t think that
going to bed at a reasonable time means that you will get less done; how much
do you really achieve after 9:30
or 10:00 ? From the time you
get home until the time you go to bed, make sure that you are following some
sort of schedule -- even a loose one -- which includes making a healthy dinner,
eating and spending time with your family, spending a few minutes tidying up so
that your home is orderly and comfortable to look at, and finally taking a
little while to wind down by reading, stretching or doing some other relaxing
activity. You can use this period before going to sleep to review the day,
congratulate yourself on your successes and learn from your mistakes. By the
time your head hits the pillow, you can rest knowing that, with your routine in
place, it was you who were in charge of your day and who are determining
the course of your life.
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