8 Tips for Maintaining Long-Term Recovery
While withdrawal management (detox) or treatment are great ways to kick-start your recovery journey, successful long-term recovery is built on daily habits, a solid support network, and self-awareness and compassion. It’s about consistency, curiosity, and knowing when to ask for help. Whether you’re newly sober or years into your journey, these strategies can help you stay on track with your journey while fostering resilience.
1) Identify Your Triggers
Understanding what increases your urge to drink or use is one of the most important relapse-prevention tools. Triggers can be internal–stress, anxiety, loneliness–or external–certain people, places, or routines.
Common triggers include:
Stress and emotional distress
Familiar drinking/use settings
Relationship conflicts
Financial or employment challenges, such as losing a job or being overwhelmed by debt
Spending time with friends who continue to use
Once identified, you can create a plan to avoid, reduce, or manage these triggers in healthier ways, for example through daily and weekly stress management and avoiding the places and people that you used to drink/use with.
Helpful Resources:
Free financial consultations, including support with debt management, finding the right bank for your needs, and building savings.
Local therapists & support groups, where you can talk through triggers and make new friends who truly understand and support your recovery.
Free yoga for the recovery community – scroll down to ‘Upcoming Events.’
Local meetings – daily and weekly support groups.
2) Recognize Early Relapse Warning Signs
Relapse often begins long before substance use resumes. It typically progresses through emotional, mental, and physical withdrawal stages, in that order.
Here are some early emotional and mental warning signs to be aware of, so you can get the support you need before you ‘lapse’ or ‘relapse’:
Isolating from support systems
Mood changes, including feeling increasingly sad, irritable, anxious, depressed or generally discontent
A decline in self-care and healthy living habits, such as eating and sleeping regularly
Returning to negative or self-defeating thinking
Looking back on your addiction fondly
Justifying “one time” use or minimizing the consequences of relapsing
Recognizing these signs early allows you to reach out for support before a setback occurs, whether you recommit to weekly meetings, reach out to a trusted friend or family member, connect with a therapist, or reach out to us for free one-on-one support.
Related: 9 Common Warning Signs and What to Do if You Experience Them
3) Be Aware of Post-Acute Withdrawal (PAWS)
Some people experience ongoing symptoms after withdrawal management (detox), including irritability, low mood, anxiety, sleep issues, and fatigue. These symptoms—sometimes called post-acute withdrawal—can last for a few months to up to two years depending on the length and severity of previous use.
Don’t let PAWS scare you away from detox or treatment. It can be a challenging first step toward building a new life in sobriety, but waiting will only make symptoms worse–and symptoms can be managed with support from physical and mental healthcare professions.
Related: 5 Steps to Creating a Healthy Schedule
4) Build and Stay Connected with Your Support Network
Recovery thrives in connection. Peer support groups, meetings, counseling, and trusted relationships all provide accountability and encouragement.
While formal meetings don’t work for everyone, finding ways to stay connected in the recovery community are one of the best ways to successfully maintain sobriety
One of our partner organizations, A Way Out, hosts monthly peer support events, family support groups, and other recovery-supportive community events throughout the year. Year over year, their data shows that over 90% of those who stay connected with peer support groups maintain their sobriety – that CAN be you!
Helpful Resources:
5) Practice Healthy Living
Mental and physical health play a major role in emotional stability. Long-term substance use impacts you mentally and physically, so rebuilding overall wellness supports your recovery.
Healthy living includes:
Regular exercise (3-6 days a week)
Balanced nutrition and regular meals
Consistent sleep (7-9 hours, going to bed and waking at the same time daily)
Stress relief, mindfulness, or relaxation practices
Regular, supportive social time
A consistent daily and weekly schedule
Healthy habits combined with a daily structure that allows time for work, rest, recovery support, and regular self care will help you stay on track. When your time is allotted to healthy, supportive activities, you won’t have time for old habits or people that aren’t supportive of your recovery.
Related: How to Build A Healthy Daily Schedule
6) Celebrate Milestones
Acknowledging your progress reinforces motivation. One week, one month, one year and beyond are reminders of your bravery, resilience, and commitment–and all are worth celebrating in ways that support your recovery, such as:
Meaningful experiences
Personal rewards (a sweet treat, coffee, or small item that you’ve been wanting for a while)
Reflection and gratitude
Sharing your success with members of your support network
You are strong, you are brave, you are resilient, and you CAN continue moving forward on your recovery journey.
7) Ask for Help Early
Reaching out before challenges escalate is a strength, not a weakness, and getting support early makes navigating challenges easier.
Support may come from:
Therapists or counselors
Case managers
Peer support groups
Trusted friends or family
The earlier you seek support, the easier it is to come back to a place of balance and stability.
8) Practice Self-Compassion
Recovery is an ever-changing journey. What worked in your first year may need adjustment later on, and that’s okay. Growth often requires reassessing routines, support systems, and boundaries.
Practice self-compassion when setbacks happen. Progress isn’t linear, and learning from setbacks is just as much a part of long-term recovery as trying to avoid them.
A Final Note:
Long-term recovery is built through self-awareness, connection, structure, and self-care. By identifying triggers, recognizing early warning signs, building healthy routines, and building and staying connected to your support network, you create a strong foundation for sustained sobriety.
Recovery is a journey. It’s about continuing to show up, one day at a time, and building a new fulfilling life full of connection, resilience, and compassion for yourself and others.
If you’re feeling lost, stuck, or like you could use some support navigating the next steps on your journey, please reach out to us! We’re here to support you from day 0 to 10,000 and beyond.
Give us a call at 970-379-0955 or fill out the form below and one of our staff members will reach out to you.
Written by Liz Haas, Recovery Resources Digital Marketing & Outreach Specialist
