Choose the recovering addict's guide to rediscovering life

Melisa Cammack — Learning to deal with life without the crutches of drugs and alcohol can be a frightening experience, and as an addict, you may feel lost and unsure what next step to take after leaving rehab. While getting clean and sober is difficult, staying that way can be the real challenge. There are a few things you can do to readjust to everyday life and find some sense of normalcy on your continued path to sobriety.

Find out who your (real) friends are

In rehab, you were told there are some people you can no longer have contact with, and the importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Socializing with your old drug buddies will only increase your chances of relapse as they most likely will not respect your decision to get clean, and may pressure you into using again. Cut off contact and reach out to friends and family who will encourage sobriety in your new life.

Stay occupied

This includes physically and mentally. Boredom is the recovering addict's enemy, because when you have too much time to think, you are more likely to let your mind wander into thoughts of old habits. Take up a new hobby or do volunteer work in the community; consider going back to school to pursue that degree; or start thinking about seeking permanent employment. When you keep your mind and body busy, you won't have time to use.

Catch up with the world

Depending on how long you were an active addict, chances are a lot of things happened that you missed out on. Refamiliarize yourself with the events in your city and on national and world levels; being informed about what's going on around you can make you feel once again like a member of society.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

No one expects you to conquer addiction alone; having cravings and feeling withdrawal symptoms are normal in the recovery process. Find someone to sponsor you who you can lean on when you are not feeling strong, and this can be someone from a 12-step program or just a close friend or family member with whom you feel comfortable sharing personal information. If they care, they will be more than happy to give you a shoulder to lean on.

Everyday life can be a struggle for a recovering addict, so take it step by step, and you'll learn to enjoy your second chance in no time.

About the Author

Melisa Cammack is a mother of three, wife, and freelance writer. She loves to write parenting, self-help, health, and travel articles. 

Facebook addiction: take the test

[caption id="attachment_4168" align="alignleft" width="300"] Facebook[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Here's another addiction to worry about: Facebook.  It seems that there is now a test to determine whether you are or aren't one of those with an unrelenting craving that sometimes you can't control, which is, of course, the nature of addiction.  What's the test and what does this say about the rest of us?

I admit it.  I am on Facebook every day.  I also have a lot of "friends" and that's a serious sign of issues, unless there's a reason.  For me, as a journalist, Facebook is one of those places where networking is important.  But I also peek in and see how my friends are faring, and I admit to a venture here and there on non-friend pages, just to check out what's going on in the never-never land of those I hardly know or don't know anymore.  Some of these have become non-friends and non-relatives through time and distance.    Lots of folks do that, the experts say.  That's the way of the world, it seems, at least the way of the world on Facebook.

I'm also addicted to something else on Facebook, and that's not just writing but music as well.  The new application, Fandalism, has taken off seriously and in some ways might just outpace YouTube.  If it does, some of us will be truly happy for that, as YouTube has become not just a place for musicians and visual artists to strut their stuff but a dumping ground for the absurd and sometimes the very bizarre, as well as the tamer "inappropriate."

Fandalism can be very addictive, if you like to play music.  If you like to listen to it, it can also be addictive, as there are some seriously good musicians.  One of them is Yawroc Sticky Hopkins, that I have written about, and Nancy Burridge, of the super voice.  But there are others as well, and when the site brags it has many of the world's best musicians, you can take that claim seriously, as there are some seriously fine folk on Fandalism, who perform as well, and often better, than those on "America's Got Talent" or its counterparts like "Britains Got Talent" just over the pond.

But Facebook is the parent of Fandalism, parent in terms of the new child becoming a strong connection for people, likely as addicted as those who play games.

So what's the test to determine addiction?  So here's what Kurzweil's publication reports:

 Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale test, developed in Norway, offers the following scale to determine addiction..

Do you (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, or (5) Very often:

• Spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan use of Facebook.


• Feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.


• Use Facebook to forget about personal problems.


• Try to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.


• Become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.


• Use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job/studies.

After adding these up, your full score correlates with your addiction level. Did you score “often” or “very often” on at least four of the six items? You’re a Facebook addict.*

So it isn't just the Internet or the computer that takes our time.  It is also social media.  On the other hand, some people use the site to master their music or to show off their work in various ways.  However, you use, it, experts say, excessive use can cause problems with sleep and bunches of other issues---like who is going to do the dishes or take out the garbage while the other guy is fixed with eyes on the screen for Facebook.