Dating after recovery might come as a challenge for you. “Am I ready to start dating? What if I date the wrong person? Could I become influenced? What if he doesn’t support me?” You might have many things to worry about, but let’s not make dating one of them! There are a lot of attributes that follow a good relationship, but don’t lose track of your recovery progress. If you’ve been recovering for awhile, it might be a good idea to jump on the wagon. So, how do you manage a relationship AND recovery? Let’s start with the basics:
WAIT A YEAR
Wait at least a year from when you went to rehab. Waiting a year will give you enough time to focus on your health and recovery without any distractions from dating. Your recovery should always be #1 priority and giving it a year before dating will make that priority easier to maintain.
TAKE IT SLOW
When you first start dating, remember to take it slow. It’s not a good idea to move in, get married or have kids in the first year of dating. Remember, you’re still balancing recovery in your life… so make sure you don’t put that aside and put more attention to the relationship. Enjoy your time with them, learn about them, have fun and work on balancing your life around them.
BE UPFRONT
Be upfront about your addiction and recovery. Don’t try to lie about your addiction or be embarrassed to tell them about it. In many situations, they will love to hear about your story and your progress from it. You’re kicking ass and you should be proud!
THERAPY
When you start dating, make sure your recovery is still a priority. That means, if you were in therapy sessions before you started dating, you should keep it going while you date. If you find your relationship to be challenging and hard to balance, open your mind to the possibility of couples therapy. Any kind of therapy can be helpful towards your life and the challenges that come and go.