Top 3 Tips for Moms in Addiction Recovery

Like being a mom, recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a challenging but a worthy and rewarding journey. Maintaining sobriety while caring for a family bring additional complications, especially in early recovery.

Remember, it is essential for parents to always put their sobriety first, ensuring they stay healthy and present, supporting your kids and family.

The three top tips that can help moms stay balanced, while maintaining and strengthening addiction recovery include:

1. Build a Dedicated Sober Support System

Moms have a lot to manage and having a solid support network is necessary to stay on track with your recovery. Make sure a sober support system includes:

• 12 Step Meetings: Regular attendance at 12 Step group meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), can help moms connect with fellow moms and parents in recovery and provide advice and a safe space to share your experiences.
• Find a sponsor: A sponsor can help you navigate challenges and stay on track with your recovery goals.
• Develop a sober social network: Connect with other moms in recovery who share similar interests and hobbies. Look for sober social events or attend family-friendly activities to meet other sober moms.
• Lean on friends and family: Don’t be afraid to ask for help or support from friends and family. They can be a valuable source of encouragement and can help with childcare or other needs.

2. Practice Self-Care

Self-care strategies are essential to strengthening and maintaining any recovery routine. Developing an effective self-care plan can help moms manage and overcome triggers and other stressors that can negatively impact sobriety.

The basics of self-care include a healthy diet, physical activity, and sufficient rest. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, as well as resting your mind and body when necessary

A healthy mind relies on a healthy body, so diet and exercise are essential pieces of the self-care puzzle. Staying active is an essential self-care strategy. Whether it’s walking the dog or going for a long run, reserve 30 to 60 minutes each day to get up and move.

And, be mindful of your diet and nutrition, focusing on healthy eating choices and patterns. Taking care of your physical health will naturally feed into your emotional health and reduce stress levels, a basic but core self-care strategy.

Learn more about Sober Self Care Strategies.

3. Create a Mindfulness Routine

An intentional mindfulness practice can help moms in recovery better regulate everyday stressors that come with being a parent and help regulate thoughts, emotions, and even improve physical well-being. For people in recovery, a mindfulness routine is fundamental to help manage stress and cravings, to recognize relapse triggers, and regulate emotions.

A daily mindfulness practice can include:

• Morning meditation: Start your day with a few minutes of quiet meditation to set a positive tone for the day ahead. Meditation will calm your mind and enhance your spiritual health. There are several apps and podcasts that offer free guided meditations to help you build and expand your meditation practice.
• Practice gratitude: Take a few moments each day to reflect on the things you are grateful for in your life. Try writing down three things you are grateful for in the morning and journaling about something good that happened during the day before you go to bed each evening.
  Check out five practices that strengthen gratitude routines.
• Spiritual routine: If you have a religious or spiritual practice, prayer can be a powerful way to connect with your faith and strengthen your spiritual connection. Read more about spiritual practices in recovery.

Simple activities like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga can help cultivate mindfulness and only take a little bit of time daily. By making mindfulness a part of the recovery journey, moms can experience more inner strength, clarity, and peace of mind.

A Sober Mom’s Story

When you are a mother, just as your addiction had impacts on your children and family, so will your recovery.

Here’s a few words of encouragement from Valley Hope Addiction Treatment and Recovery alum, Kim S., on her recovery experience:

“Sobriety has improved my life with my family. Sober for 19 years; saved my marriage and relationship with my children and extended family. My husband has been sober for 12 years, and our marriage is rock solid–we just celebrated 31 years together. I learned to believe in myself and ask for help from others when needed. Sobriety is not easy, and a solid foundation of support is important…people don’t realize how hard it can be, but it can be done. When you get sober, the world is clearer, the colors are brighter, and you begin to appreciate everything and everyone around you. The world is new again but a much better place. You feel comfortable in your own skin again.”

-Kim S.

Explore More Recovery Stories.

Find Addiction Help for Moms

Addiction is a family disease that impacts every member including the one suffering from substance abuse. As a mom, the decision to choose sobriety is life-saving for you and life-changing for your family.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction and is ready to seek help, Valley Hope Addiction Treatment and Recovery provides compassionate, customized, evidence-based addiction treatment designed to help those suffering and their families find a successful, fulfilling path to lifelong recovery.

At Valley Hope Addiction Treatment and Recovery you can find convenient, effective and compassionate substance use treatment services near you, including Phoenix, Denver, Wichita, Kansas City, Omaha, Oklahoma City, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

For immediate help 24/7, call your Local Admissions Team at (800) 544-5101 or find an addiction rehab location near you.