Coping Skills

Substance addiction is a deep, complex problem that evolves out of a number of factors, including environment, relationships, daily stressors, genetics, and trauma. One common reason people turn to substances is that they don’t have the adequate coping skills to manage their situation. Drugs serve as an unhealthy coping mechanism that people use to relieve stress.

Substance abuse is closely linked to mental health, with many users developing a psychological dependence on the substance. They may develop an addiction because the substance makes them feel more relaxed or self-confident, but that feeling is only temporary. To maintain it, they have to repeatedly use the substance, putting them at risk for increased dependence or overdose.

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Coping Skills to Manage Stress

One of the first things you need to do to reclaim your life from substance addiction is to develop healthy, alternative coping skills for dealing with stress. Daily stressors and trauma aren’t always easy to overcome, but there are a number of strategies you can use to manage them. Here is an example of five coping skills designed to help you compartmentalize your stress:

Control Your Environment

Do you have a bad roommate? Do you hate your job? Are these things creating stress in your life? Then change them! You can be in control of your surroundings, including the people you surround yourself with. If someone or something in your life is doing you more harm than good, then maybe it’s time to move on or let go.

Coping Skills for Communication

This one can be tricky to get the hang of, but it’s important for your mental health and maintaining relationships. If something or someone is bothering you, talk about it. Bottling up your thoughts and feelings will cause unnecessary stress.

Reevaluate Your Standards and Accept

While it’s good to have high expectations, sometimes we expect too much from ourselves or others. Reconsider what you’re really expecting and accept that people have limits.

Coping Skills For Fostering Positive Thinking

Sometimes we absorb ourselves in the negative details of things so much that they’re all we think about. Looking at the big picture and trying to find the positive parts of a situation can put the negative parts into perspective and lessen your stress.

Effectively Address Successes and Mistakes

Every person has the same capacity for good and bad. Sometimes we do well and sometimes we don’t. Accepting both is part of being a human and part of understanding yourself and your situation. Learn from the mistakes and celebrate the successes.

What if Coping Skills Aren’t Enough?

For many people, the stress or trauma in their life is too overwhelming to handle alone and that’s okay! Seeking help and knowing when you can’t do something alone is also an imperative coping skill. Turning to a trusted friend, family member, or medical professional rather than drugs is the first step.

At Serenity Lodge in Lake Arrowhead, CA, we offer a variety of treatment programs and activities designed to help men manage stress and mental health. If you struggle with both substance abuse and mental health disorders, then we offer dual diagnosis treatment to help you address both.

Recovery needs positive coping skills and structure in order to stick, and Serenity Lodge has both in spades. Rehab is the perfect time to build new coping skills to maintain recovery in the outside world.  Monitoring in inpatient rehab helps you account fully for what you eat as you begin your road recovery.

In our safe, relaxing environment, clients also take full advantage of amenities including but not limited to:

Serenity Lodge amenities can boost self-esteem, and provide clients with lifelong coping skills and habits that improve mood and cement sobriety. From sports to creative art, Serenity Lodge offers you the chance to have fun without addiction. Come find your new passion with us today!

It’s time to overcome addiction and learn healthier strategies for dealing with stress. Reach out to us at [Direct] so we can get you on the right track to recovery with our drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs. A healthier life free of substance addiction is waiting for you, you just need to take the first step.

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