Back to School Sober

It’s August! Summer break is over and students are heading “Back to School”. These days, there are many high school and college students in recovery, as the choice to live sober can happen at any age. During this special time of year, we want to encourage the students who are heading into the new school year with tough challenges to face.

You may be worried that you’ll be the only person not partying. Or that you won’t have any fun. Maybe that your friends won’t support your choices or worse that they may actively sabotage your efforts to stay sober. The fear of being tempted to use again can hang over the new school year like a weight.

Please remember, you are not alone in your choice to change your life for the better. With a some effort you can have a school year filled with academic achievements, a great social life, and no relapse. Here are a few ideas to help you succeed.

Get involved in a recovery program

Hint:  St. Maarten Red Cross hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at various locations on the island.

Find a professional counselor BEFORE you need one.

Hint: Turning Point Foundation offers out-patient therapy. You can also ask your school counselor or trusted church leadership for counseling options available to you.

Make new friends who share similar sober lifestyles and who support your efforts to remain sober.

Hint: Find or create social groups based on healthy, sober activities like hiking, volunteering, tutoring and even traveling. Keeping yourself busy with schoolwork and activities that don’t include triggers can help you have a productive and enjoyable school year.

Stay away from your old friends who use.

Hint: People you used to drink or do drugs with should be off limits, at least for now. You might not be able to avoid them entirely, so try to prepare yourself on how you can respond to peer pressure.

Take good care of yourself.

Hint: Do lots of self-care. Take care of your hygiene, keeping your body, hair, teeth and nails clean and/or moisturized.  Pay attention to what you eat, avoid junk food and sugary drinks. Get plenty of sleep. Get into fitness.

Find new music and entertainment.

Hint: Triggers can surprise you. Be proactive and intentional about not listening to the music or doing the activities you used to do when you were using. Ask friends to suggest new artists you might like.

Focus on your goals

Hint: Answer questions like… Who do I want to be? What do I want out of life? What do I want to contribute to society? You may not know exactly what you want right away, but start trying to figure it out so that you can find some goals to start working toward accomplishing.