How Learning to Say No Can Improve Your Chances of Staying Drug-Free
Too many people never grew up feeling comfortable saying no. Whether it was from an unsafe home environment or personality differences that made them want to please others, saying no is an important skill, especially when it comes to the drug recovery journey. Saying no is an important part of setting and maintaining boundaries, growing in confidence, and being more intentional about saying yes. Here’s how learning to say no can actually improve your chances of staying drug-free:
You Learn to Set Healthy Boundaries
It takes practice to learn to set healthy boundaries. Saying no is part of it. Many people say yes to things and get involved with the wrong people because they never learned to say no or set good boundaries. When it comes to drug addiction, it can be easy to get carried along with bad influences, but learning to say no when you’re uncomfortable can be empowering. Part of opiate addiction treatment and other drug addiction treatment plans include learning more about yourself and setting healthy boundaries. You get to decide the kinds of people you want to let into your life and how you will handle tricky situations.
You Stop Seeking the Approval of Others
Saying no is not only about saying no to drugs and alcohol, but also about saying yes to yourself. This means that when someone expects something from you that doesn’t fit with your priorities, you can say no more easily without worrying about their approval. You start to do things that resonate with your goals and priorities. This might mean limiting your interactions with toxic people. It means that you’ll be more willing to say no to your old drug buddies as well.
You Gain More Confidence
As you start to say no more often to the things that don’t resonate with you, your goals, and your needs, you’ll gain more confidence in your own ability to say no, which can lead to other positive changes. You’re more confident in your own ability to say yes, and you will have the confidence necessary for making decisions about what is best for you. You also feel less afraid of standing up for yourself when someone tries to push their agenda on you or make demands that aren’t appropriate.
You Get to Be More Intentional in Your Yes
Saying no to something also means you are saying yes to something else. When you know what you want and are clear on your values, it’s easier to say yes or no. This is important in drug recovery. You need the ability to decide what to say yes to. Whether it’s time with family and friends, taking on new challenges, or getting therapy, your no becomes your yes in something else. Use it wisely.
You Surround Yourself With More Emotionally Healthy People
Being around emotionally healthy people is imperative when you are recovering from drug addiction. People with unhealthy habits and patterns can and will drag you down. When you surround yourself with more emotionally healthy people, you are less likely to fall back into old habits. You need to be around people who support your goals and will cheer you on to success. These kinds of friends and family members will even support you when times get tough, instead of judging or criticizing you. When we learn how to say no, we start to make better choices about whom we spend our time with. In turn, our social circles start to change.
You Discover it’s Okay to Do Things For Yourself
In drug recovery, self-care is extremely important. Saying no to going to events every night of the week because it’s draining to you is okay. You’ll learn to do more for yourself when you start to say no. You’ll find that you can still be a good friend, parent, and helper. But you’ll no longer feel the pressure to do everything for everyone else.
You Learn to Set Yourself Up For Success
It’s important to be proactive when it comes to drug addiction recovery. Learning to set yourself up for success is one of the most important things you can do. When you start to say no to the things you don’t want to do, and yes or maybe to the things you do want to do, you can make big changes in your life.
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