Why Its Necessary To Learn Effective Coping Strategies In Recovery

Last Updated:

June 13th, 2024

Recovery is always challenging, and you will face stress, triggers and cravings that will test your sobriety. This is normal – and it’s why you need a plan that includes effective coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms will get you through difficult times, and help you create a strong foundation to build your recovery on.

We’re going to explore the different types of coping mechanisms, how to find the ones that work for you, and the different therapies that are available if you need extra support.

Coping mechanisms explained

Addiction itself is a coping mechanism. It eases the uncomfortable feelings that accompany stress, trauma, difficult life events and emotional pain. There’s a wide genetic variance between people, and some people are born with a higher susceptibility to stress due to genetics and biochemical factors in their brains. Some people experience traumatic events that they find difficult to get past or experience continued frustrations, negative experiences and unpleasant events that can feel beyond their control.

Addiction is an understandable response to acute and prolonged stress, and some of us are more susceptible to it than others. The purpose of developing new coping mechanisms is to replace maladaptive ones that exacerbate your problems in the long run, like addiction.

Early in recovery from drugs or recovery from alcoholism, you may want to work on relapse prevention plans. These plans are a blueprint for managing stress and triggers and will let you compile a list of the right coping mechanisms for you. Not all coping mechanisms work for everyone, and you might get more out of some than others. Having this plan and updating it with new coping mechanisms as you discover them will give you something to return to when things get difficult.

Learning new coping skills is a vital part of addiction recovery, and they play a critical role in preventing relapse and aiding long-term recovery plans.

Short and long-term coping strategies

Coping strategies can be broken down into short-term and long-term strategies. Short-term strategies can be harnessed in the moment, when triggers or stress feel overwhelming, while long-term strategies are practices: things you can do regularly to bring down your stress and keep you healthy.

Short-term strategies include:

Reminding yourself why you quit

Some people find it helpful to carry a card or piece of paper or write down a list of the top reasons why they have decided to become sober in their notes app on their phone.

Talking to someone

Having a trusted friend on standby who can take your call or bringing a supportive friend along when you’re in situations where you might be tempted to use, or drink can keep you accountable and give you an outlet to talk about your feelings.

Distraction

Take your mind away from the current situation in any way you can. Reading, texting, exercising, calling someone, listening to music – whatever you find the most distracting.

Challenge your thoughts

If you’re having a thought about drinking or using, stop the thought, analyse it and replace it. You can use This cognitive behavioural technique to address and challenge faulty thought processes.

Ride it out

If you can acknowledge the feeling you’re experiencing is temporary, you can accept it without giving in. If this isn’t possible:

Leave

Exit the triggering situation if you’re feeling overwhelmed. It may help to plan your escape in advance.

Long-term coping strategies are the building blocks of a more stable life. They include elements of self-care, allowing you to practise new skills, learn to self-soothe and add structure to your daily life.

Letting self-care slip is often a precursor to relapse – its importance cannot be overstated. The acronym HALT – hungry, angry, lonely and tired – is often used to encourage people to examine elements of their self-care that they may be neglecting that could exacerbate stress and cravings, and indicate that they are slipping into depression or poor mental health.

Long-term coping mechanisms include:

Sleep

Regular, consistent sleep for the right amount of time to give you the rest and strength to continue your sobriety.

Diet

Nutritious, healthy food and consistent water intake to keep your body and mood regulated.

Exercise

This can be as gentle or intense as you like. Move your body in a way you find pleasurable. Dance, lift weights, run, gently stretch.

Hobbies

In recovery, you will have free time that you didn’t have previously – and this needs to be spent doing something interesting or meaningful to you. The list of potential hobbies is endless, and recovery is a good time to pursue something you didn’t have the time to do previously. It doesn’t matter if you’re not good at it right away.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness – the art of existing in the present moment, without preoccupation about the past or future – takes practice but is immensely beneficial. It is a component of yoga and meditation, but it can be practised outside of these disciplines.

Relaxation strategies

Journaling, progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises can all reduce your stress both in the moment and when practised repeatedly.

Coping mechanisms and self-efficacy

Coping skills are important in recovery – and they are especially powerful when paired with self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is a key predictor of relapse prevention and continued abstinence. It means feeling effective, not trapped, and believing in your ability to recover. Self-efficacy can be worked on and developed, and coping mechanisms play a key role in this.

Coping mechanisms don’t just help you address immediate threats to relapse; they can be developed over time like a muscle. As you use your developing coping mechanisms to deal with more challenging situations, your confidence in managing them improves – and so does your level of self-efficacy. Higher self-efficacy means a reduced risk of relapse and increased self-confidence in your ability to maintain your behavioural changes.

Additional support systems

Having a personal network of supportive people to call upon is a fantastic coping resource. Loneliness exacerbates addiction, and having people to talk things through with and to call upon when you’re stressed or experiencing cravings can make a difference. However, don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional if you need additional support.

Many forms of therapy can help you to build up your repertoire of healthy coping mechanisms. A Cognitive Behavioural Therapist will help you deal with faulty or negative thought patterns more effectively by stopping, challenging and altering them. This breaks the cycle of negative self-belief driven by thoughts, which alters your behaviour.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy was developed specifically for people who experience strong emotions and suffer as a result of them – as a result, it is now widely used to treat addiction. It focuses on developing coping mechanisms such as mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance. By building these skills, you will be better equipped to cope with the uncomfortable feelings, cravings, stressors and triggers that naturally arise as you move through the process of addiction recovery.

Transitioning from damaging coping mechanisms to healthy ones isn’t easy – but it’s at the core of effective and sustained recovery.