Structure and routine are often recommended for people in recovery from addiction. Why are they so important in the recovery process? Their role is actually fundamental. Here’s why.
One of the strange facts about substance use disorders is that many of its causes and symptoms can look the same. Mental illness can lead to substance use and addiction can trigger other mental illnesses. Loneliness is a risk factor for drug and alcohol abuse which can, in turn, lead to further isolation.
A lack of structure and routine is another poignant example. People who struggle with structure and routine are at a higher risk of addiction. The loss of structure and routine is also a symptom of addiction, even for people who previously excelled in this area.
Why is this the case and how can structure and routine help with addiction recovery?
The Connection of Addiction to Lack of Structure
There are a number of reasons why a lack of structure and routine lead to a higher risk of addiction and other mental illnesses. Structure provides a sense of safety by giving us the clarity of what we need to do each day in order to maintain order in our lives. Without it, the prospect of meeting all our responsibilities can seem overwhelming.
This can cause anxiety, which is worsened by the lack of boundaries that could help manage it. Along with the fact that the absence of routine leaves a person with ample idle time, the emotional dysregulation can make them look for any available solution. Drugs and alcohol can begin to look like an attractive option.
But even for people who previously had structure and routine in their lives, addiction plays havoc with their ability to maintain it. Addiction doesn’t lend itself to routine. Instead of meeting each day with practical outcomes, the person’s attention fixates on one goal: acquire and use drugs or alcohol.
The effect of substances also plays a role. Substance use can make it extremely difficult to function competently or stick to a task.
Ultimately, people with substance use disorders end up with no structure and routine in their lives, causing havoc in professional, social, and romantic situations.
With this in mind, we can begin to understand why structure and routine are fundamental to the process of recovery from addiction.
Why Recovery Requires Routine
It’s understandable that people with addiction are often resistant to implementing structure and routine in their lives. Having spent so much time without it, the prospect is intimidating. Not only does it seem restrictive, but it also can feel difficult to achieve.
However, routine is crucial to recovery. Routine ensures that the person is not left with too much idle time which, as we’ve discussed, can evoke anxiety. Idle time can also lead to boredom, something people recovering from addiction struggle with.
Additionally, structure and routine create a barrier to common triggers. By planning where you will be during the day and what you will be doing, you are empowered to distance yourself from people and things unconducive to your recovery.
It’s important to remember that recovery is not a passive process. It requires consistent work, including the practice of skills learned in rehab. It is structure that facilitates this practice becoming part of your routine, rather than something you do only when it crosses your mind.
Tips for Implementing Structure and Routine in Recovery
If you haven’t had much structure or routine in your life until now, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Go Beyond Work
A nine-to-five job may seem like all the structure you need, but this isn’t the case, especially when recovering from addiction. Your time away from the office is extremely important to your wellbeing and it is necessary to make the most of it.
For this reason, your structure should include things you may not have considered. Set time to relax each day, time to work on your sobriety, time to spend with your loved ones and friends. Set time for your hobbies as well – they are a meaningful part of life and should be treated as such.
This becomes all the more important for people who are working part time or are unemployed. You don’t need to have a job to have structure and routine. On the contrary, what is required is remembering to value the parts of life that you don’t get paid for.
Remain Flexible
While structure and routine are important, they can also feel stifling and overwhelming. This doesn’t mean you should give up on them, but is rather a reason to see your structure as flexible. Even as you give it the seriousness it requires, remember that it is just the means to an end. Compromising your wellbeing for the sake of structure and routine defeats the purpose.
Find an Accountability Partner
When the only person enforcing your structure is you, it can be all too easy to lose your motivation. Without immediate consequences, maintaining structure might soon lose its sense of importance.
An accountability partner can help with this. This is someone you trust to hold you accountable to your commitments to yourself. The idea is not that they shame you for any setbacks, but that you are no longer the only person who’ll know if you abandon your routine.
Choosing someone who understands your struggle with addiction is helpful, as they will relate to the purpose of their role. They know how important it is to maintain structure, while also appreciating the challenges you face.
Conclusion
Structure and routine are extremely important when it comes to recovery from addiction. While they are difficult for people struggling with addiction, they are skills that can be learned. Remember to be compassionate with yourself. You are doing the hard work to recover and implementing structure is not a punitive matter but one of giving yourself a strong foundation.
