The early stages of addiction recovery can be difficult. Withdrawal and habit-breaking can be hard to get through, but long-term sobriety becomes easier if you can identify your relapse triggers and stay on top of them. If you are in the early stages of recovery, don’t worry, it gets easier with time. It’s normal to have feelings of uncertainty when you first stop drinking, but eventually, you will start to notice the benefits of staying sober. Here are a few things that you should expect after your first year of addiction recovery.
Better Mood
Alcohol and opioids can alter the chemical balance in your brain, having a negative effect on your mood. Excessive drinking and opioid abuse can lead to mood swings, making It hard to socialize and get along with others. Studies show that lowering consumption of these substances can improve psychological functioning, improving your mood and your cognitive abilities. After a year of addiction recovery, you can expect to be less irritable and have a more stable mental state.
Improved Mental Function
Not only will your mood be improved after a year of addiction recovery, but your mental functionality will be too. Better recall, faster mental processing, and lengthened attention span can all be expected once you stop abusing substances. Research shows that after being alcohol-free for just ten days, people will experience improved memory, visual processing, and overall mental functionality. Opioids and other drugs work similarly, disrupting the balance of chemicals in your brain, making it harder to focus even after the comedown. Lowering the amount of these substances you consume increases your brain’s ability to function reliably.
Better Relationships
Maintaining relationships can be difficult to do when you are battling addiction. Substance abuse can take up a lot of your time, and leave you foggy, and irritable. After going through the recovery stages and making it a year into addiction recovery, it is easier to make and maintain relationships with others. Being mentally available and clear-headed is part of being a dependable friend and staying sober helps with that. Once you’ve kicked the habit, you will probably notice that you have more free time than you thought you did, opening up time to spend with friends.
Addiction Treatment Programs Near You
American Treatment Network provides integrated health care for our patients at three locations. If you or someone you know is battling addiction, visit us at American Treatment Network in Havertown, PA, Newark DE, or Dover DE. We provide everything our patients need in one central location so that we can provide the support needed to beat opioid and alcohol addiction. Making the decision to get help can be difficult. We’re here to make the treatment process easy.
