Entering recovery is no easy task, in some ways it is even harder for young people. In our experience working with young people we have seen that if you are able to implement and follow these tips in the first 90 days of recovery, the chances for long term recovery overall improve:

1. Make meetings a priority
2. Go out of your way to build a support network
3. Get a sponsor early in the process
4. Identify people, places, and things that cause you to stumble
5. Don’t take temporary for permanent
6. Celebrate time sober
7. Make sure to have fun

Early recovery can be challenging, filled with ups and downs as you adjust to a life free from substance abuse. While it may feel daunting at times, there are tools and strategies that can help you navigate this journey with strength and hope. 

Tips for early recovery

1. Make meetings a priority

Though attendance at meetings isn’t a guarantee of success, there is a clear and direct correlation between folks who miss meetings and folks who struggle to stay sober over the long haul.

For this reason, we recommend that you not only find meetings in your area, but that you attend them with as much regularity as possible.

Remember that there are many types of meetings available, and each meeting has its own personality. Some are big, some are small. Some are co-ed, and others are only open to a particular gender. Some discuss only alcohol, others discuss only drugs, and others aren’t stringent regarding the substances used.

Regardless, it’s important that you hook into a community, even if you find it difficult. In our article on 90 meetings in 90 days, we discussed some good tips to make this work early in sobriety.

Remember the adage: “I got high, we got sober.”

2. Go out of your way to build a support network

One thread that is found in every element of recovery is that we can’t do it alone. To build on the advice of going to meetings, we also recommend that you connect with others early on in the process. Generally, this means getting phone numbers from people in recovery from your chosen support group, and making an effort to connect with them.

This piece can be daunting, but it’s important not to underestimate the ups and downs that come with the first few months of sobriety. It’s normal to feel totally okay one hour, and completely depressed the next. This is where these vital connections come in.

If you’ve made the effort to develop relationships with folks who understand your predicament, it’s much easier to reach out to them during these times of struggle. In some cases, a quick phone call to a sponsor or friend can be a literal life saver.

Remember that if we could do in on our own, most of us would have. The fact that we found ourselves unable to sober up on our own is the evidence that we need others.

3. Get a sponsor early in the process

We’ve discussed what a 12-step sponsor does at length in other articles, and we think that getting a person to guide you through the process of the 12 steps is one of the most important steps to take as you go through the early days of recovery.

While our sponsor may also be our friend, remember that the role of a sponsor is different than that of a friend in recovery. Whereas our friends in recovery may be there to support us, guide us, or lift our spirits, our sponsor is the one who truly guides us through the process.

They can also guide us as we navigate the natural mental health struggles that arise early in the process, like the feeling of depression we get as a result of giving up our drug of choice and our using lifestyle.

4. Identify people, places, and things that cause you to stumble

One of the most important tips for early sobriety is learning to recognize the various things in our lives that reignite our desire to use substances. Often termed, “triggers,” these things can be emotional, environmental, or social, and they often cause intense cravings. To keep it simple, let’s call it people, places, and things.

When most of us enter recovery, our entire lives have been about using. While it’s tempting to think that the fact that we’ve made a decision to change is enough to keep us out of hot water, but many folks are surprised how affected they are by a simple visit with a using friend.

Some common triggers could be:

• A negative romantic relationship
• Peers that continue to use substances
• An old stomping ground such as bars or certain parts of town
• Old paraphernalia
• Songs or movies that you associate with memories of substance use

Note that there’s not always a clear-cut answer on some of these topics. The best way to determine a course of action would be to discuss these issues with your sponsor. Counselors and therapists trained to help with substance use can also be extremely helpful resources in developing a plan for handling potential stumbling blocks.

Don’t take temporary for permanent

Most of us used drugs and alcohol to turn off or cope with intense emotions so we don’t have to deal with them. The trouble with getting sober is that we suddenly lack the buffer between ourselves and our negative emotions.

It’s normal early in the process to experience waves of regret, shame, fear, or depression. These things come and go, and they do get better.

(If they didn’t, nobody would stay sober!)

Over time, we develop the tools to manage these negative emotions, and they die down with time as we build self-worth and begin to forgive ourselves. The key is to stick with it! As they say, “time takes time!”

Celebrate time sober

Getting even one day sober is a huge accomplishment! Celebrate these victories because they will give you the encouragement to succeed and get where you want to be. Getting sober takes hard work, dedication and resilience.

In our program we specifically celebrate 30 days sober with a celebration and then again at a year of sobriety. We love to see the light come back on in the eyes of the new person who we saw come in struggling to get a grasp on life.

Make sure to have fun

While it’s tempting to make sobriety all about soul-searching, sharing in meetings, and having heavy conversations, we don’t think that being serious all the time is a good idea.

Quite the opposite; in our program we make a huge point out of making sure recovery is fun and rewarding. Think about it: for recovery to work over the long term, it MUST be better than getting high, period!

When we get sober, one of the biggest voids we have is that we feel we’re never going to enjoy ourselves again; this feeling is almost universal among newly sober individuals. Making a point of having fun with our new sober friends is a great way to get over this hurdle.

Reach out to your new sober friends and join them on their adventures in recovery! All of them understand what you’re going through, and they are likely to include you in whatever activities you ask to be a part of.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to enjoy your life!

Welcome to your new, sober life!

Recovery takes time and patience. The early stages of recovery can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools and support, you’ll find strength in each step forward. Surround yourself with positivity, ask for help when you need it, and celebrate your progress—because every sober moment is a step toward a healthier, happier future.

Don’t be afraid to consult with a medical professional if you have other issues arising, and seek treatment programs if the challenges of staying sober are proving too great. Beating substance use disorder is not easy, but there are numerous resources available to those who seek them out.

Remember, you’re not alone in this. Each day in recovery is a chance to build a new life, and with the right mindset, anything is possible. You’ve got this!

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