Once you’re begun your sobriety and you’re a few months into it, you probably have a lot of recovery support in place. You might have a sober community because of the 12-step meetings you’re attending. You might feel supported by your family and friends. And you might be working with a therapist, sponsor, or mentor. Although you might feel supported in your recovery, there are times when you might need to reach for extra support. You might need to call your sponsor or mentor out of the blue because you’re feeling triggered, stressed, or overwhelmed.
It’s important to have a crisis plan while you’re in recovery. You never know when there will be a situation in which you need recovery support. And in worst case scenarios you might feel like reaching for a drink (or drugs) instead of the phone. Instead of calling your sponsor, you might call an old drinking friend. You might resort to old coping methods when things get tough. Having a crisis plan gives you clear instructions for what to do when you’re having trouble in recovery.
Here are examples of situations in which your sobriety might be jeopardized. These are situations in which you might need to call for extra recovery support:
- Too much stress at work or school.
- Stress in your relationship.
- Family responsibilities are too overwhelming (such as many children to care for).
- Running into old drinking or drug using friends.
- Feeling alone or lonely.
- Experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety.
- Experiencing overwhelming feelings (that substances used to keep at a distance).
- Financial trouble.
- Not having basic needs met, such as housing, income, and clothing.
- Worried about friends or family members who are still using.
- Death of a loved one.
- Physical health issues.
These are just a few examples of circumstances that can make recovery difficult. You might have all the support you need, but certain situations can create triggers and cravings. In these situations, it’s important to call for extra support.
Here is a list of people you might reach out to in order to make it through a difficult period:
- Sponsor
- Sober Mentor
- Therapist
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
- Drug Counselor
- Sober Friend
- Family Member(s)
- Staff at Out Patient Facility
- Staff at a Treatment Center
When you face difficulty in your recovery, you can make a list of those you might call as a part of your crisis plan. In fact, you can include their name, number, and an emergency number, if they have one. You might also list them in order of priority to you and under what circumstances. For instance, you might call your sponsor over your therapist if you’re experiencing cravings. But if you find out your cravings are a result of a possible mental health condition, then you calling your therapist would be better.
In fact, you can work with a mental health provider to create a crisis plan that works best for you. He or she might have ideas to add to your plan that you might not have thought of. Or you might create the plan with another sober friend who wants to do the same. Either way, having a crisis plan can you feel more supported throughout your recovery.
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