When you are in recovery, you have to make many life changes, and that can extend to your relationships with others and with yourself. One of the most important lessons you will learn is how to establish healthy boundaries in recovery.
If you’re looking for help establishing boundaries, turn to Sequoia Recovery Centersss for help. Our drug and alcohol detox center in Spokane, WA, is here to help you set boundaries to protect your recovery and maintain long-term sobriety.
What Are Boundaries?
Boundaries refer to any limits that you place in order to protect your emotional, mental, or physical well-being. Think of boundaries as a barrier between where you are in your recovery and how you allow other people to treat you.
Establishing healthy boundaries is critical, especially during the first few weeks and months of treatment and during your aftercare, because it ensures that you prioritize yourself and you get the care you need without letting others take advantage of you or treat you poorly.
Benefits of Establishing Healthy Boundaries in Recovery
When you learn how to establish healthy boundaries, you reap several benefits.
Learn to Say “No”
One of the most important benefits to come from having boundaries is that you’ll learn how to decline invitations or requests. Learning how to say “No” can help you prioritize yourself, indicate to others where you might need support, and learn who is really there for you in recovery.
Manage Triggers
When you establish healthy boundaries, you’ll be in a much better position to manage your triggers. When you have boundaries, especially in relationships, it helps you to be honest about things like:
- Where you feel comfortable and where you know there might be a trigger
- Who you can socialize with versus who might pressure you to drink or do drugs
- What places you should avoid
- When you need support or self-care
These healthy boundaries might mean that you learn to say “no” to a friend whose behavior puts your recovery at risk. This can help you recognize that early in your recovery that they might not be the best person to hang out with.
Improve Relationships
When you establish healthy boundaries, you will notice that your relationships improve. During the beginning of your transition away from your drug and alcohol treatment program and back to your daily routine, you will experience a lot of emotions, and things that may not have been stressful before might suddenly be incredibly stressful.
When you have boundaries in your relationships, it puts you in a position to improve your communication with others and learn how to explain what you are feeling and what you need from other people.
For example, when you set boundaries, you might:
- Improve your ability to let someone know what your triggers are and how they can help you avoid them at home
- Improve your communication by being open and honest about when you need extra emotional support or when you might need someone to come with you to a group meeting
Boost Self-Esteem
When you fail to set healthy boundaries, you might struggle with things like poor self-esteem. Low self-esteem can have a negative impact on the decisions you make.
But knowing your worth and changing the way you view yourself and the way you interact with others can actually boost your self-esteem, which goes a long way toward improving relationships naturally and cultivating the emotional resilience you need to manage triggers.
Establishing Healthy Boundaries with Sequoia Recovery Centers
When you visit Sequoia Recovery Centers, you have access to the full continuum of care including inpatient care and outpatient rehab in Spokane. At our treatment center you can learn to establish healthy boundaries no matter the level of care in which you participate.
With our range of care, clients can go through each program in a step-down process during treatment, learning how to set boundaries not only during treatment but in the first few weeks and months after treatment. During this time frame you are at your most vulnerable, and we want to ensure you have the skills you need to avoid low self-esteem, poor self-care, or triggers.Contact us today to learn more about our Washington substance abuse treatment programs and how we can help you establish healthy boundaries.
