Relationships: How to Manage Them in Recovery

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Relationships are an important part of life. You have relationships with friends, family, loved ones, and romantic partners. Relationships can be stressful at times. For many people in early recovery, relationships can be a trigger, especially if you haven’t figured out how to juggle your emotions and recovery.

Don’t let the stress of relationships hinder you in our recovery. With time and patience, you will learn how to have a solid relationship with yourself. You will also master the art of setting personal boundaries and knowing what your limitations are.

The first point to focus on is letting go of toxic relationships. Toxic relationships often include old friends and acquaintances who are negative influences on your recovery. You need to clearly understand and accept that you can’t move forward if you are holding on to the past.

Secondly, you need to be aware of the type of people that you let in your life. For example, just because someone is sober, does not always mean that they are beneficial to your life. Surround yourself with positive people and you will reap the benefits of positivity.

In order to know who is a benefit to your life and recovery, make a mental or written list of the types of characteristics that are positive. For example, consider some of these ideal qualities that positive relationships often display:

  • Honesty
  • Commitment
  • Fun-loving
  • Kind
  • Funny
  • Supportive

Now that you have a good idea of the qualities that positive relationships have, its time to fill your life with these types of people. You can meet positive, supportive people at 12 step meetings, meet-ups, the gym, education classes, family, and even work.

The final step towards managing relationships in recovery is to know when to give yourself a break. Giving yourself a break may mean putting relationships on hold, at times. Consider this, if you’re around someone who is toxic, you can put the brakes on a relationship. You can ask friends or family to give you a break. This is called establishing boundaries and you can enforce personal boundaries without feeling guilty. You can also take alone time to refresh and refill on self-care. The only way to manage relationships in recovery is to take care of your emotional well-being first.

At The Kimberly Center, we care about your relationships in recovery. Call us now at 855-4-KCENTER to learn more about the value of supportive relationships. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed at the idea of relationships. At the Kimberly Center, you can trust our expertise.

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