Recovering from sexual addiction is a long and ongoing process. One of the biggest concerns for anyone who is battling this, is the possibility of relapse. Although you can’t completely guarantee that relapse will never happen, setting goals is a great way to stay on track and at least minimize the possibility of doing so.
For those who are currently in sex addiction therapy, below are five great resolutions you can easily keep which will help you on the road to recovery.
Take time to reflect on what you have
Every day, try to take a little time out to reflect on how far you have come and what you have achieved since you have been in recovery. Also think about the relationships you have re-built with loved ones and who has stuck by you during this difficult time.
Feeling like you have achieved a lot makes it much easier to resist temptation and realizing that you have a lot to lose by relapsing can really help you at times when you may be feeling particularly vulnerable.
Have regular therapy sessions
It’s very unlikely that you will be able to beat sexual addiction without professional support and this is for a number of reasons.
Firstly, an addiction of any kind is difficult to overcome. Even if you’re feeling on top of the world one day, the next you may be full of temptation and self-doubt. A therapist can help you during these tough times as well as teach you coping mechanisms for those difficult days.
Secondly, more often than not addictions are the result of trauma or mental health issues. The only way you will ever truly overcome your addiction is to address the underlying cause of it.
What’s more, something to be aware of is the fact that any underlying issues often become far more evident once the addictive behavior stops. This is because you no longer have an addiction to mask the issues you were trying to ignore. Naturally, this can be very difficult to deal with and there’s absolutely no doubt that you’re going to need extra support.
Follow your treatment plan
It’s absolutely crucial that you follow your treatment plan religiously. Whether it’s attending therapy sessions, taking medication, or engaging in self care, never miss what has been suggested to you.
If you’re feeling great, it may be tempting to reduce your sessions or adjust your dosage but remember it’s your treatment plan that’s making you feel good and if you mess with it, you could suffer a huge setback. If you feel you’re ready to be a bit more independent with your treatment, don’t change anything without speaking to your therapist first.
Establish a good support network
The more support you have, the less likely you are to relapse. While you’re in recovery it’s very important to have people around you who care about you and vice versa. These are the people you will be able to turn to when you’re finding things difficult and who will be more than happy to try and keep you busy with healthy activities rather than falling back into bad habits.
Have a goal
Obviously, your main aim is going to be to recover from your sex addiction but have other goals in mind that will help you along the way. Whether it’s getting back on track at work, rebuilding relationships or even something as simple as joining the gym, achieving things along the way can really help you to stay focused and motivated while reducing the risk of relapse.
If you think that you or someone you know could have a sex addiction, please feel free to contact Toronto Trauma & Addiction Counselling for more information about the signs, symptoms and what sex addiction treatment is available.
