TOP-10 Tips for Recovering from Addiction

Important from the beginning

This material is about supportive practices and life organization. It is not a substitute for professional help. If there are thoughts of self-harm or a severe crisis - contact your local emergency services or hotline.

Recovery is not the final point, but the process. It builds on small, repeatable steps: sleep, nutrition, movement, honest conversations, working with thoughts and triggers, a plan for a "rainy day" and the meanings for which you keep the course. Below are ten supports tested by practice.

TOP-10 recovery tips

1) Set micro tasks and record progress

Split the goal of "being sober/in remission" into daytime steps: sleep 7-8 hours, 20 minutes of movement, 1 diary entry, 10 minutes of breathing practices.

Keep a tracker of habits: the marks give a sense of movement.

2) Build a routine: sleep, food, movement

Sleep: the same off/off time, "no screen" 60 minutes before bedtime.

Nutrition: regular meals, protein + complex carbohydrates.

Movement: 20-30 minutes walking/charging 5-6 days a week - reduces cravings and anxiety.

3) Trigger and "replacement" map

Write down people, places, conditions that increase cravings (stress, fatigue, night, quarrel).

For each trigger - an alternative: breathing 4-4-4, shower, walk, call a friend, 10 minutes of notes.

Remember: traction is a wave. You can "surf" it for 10-20 minutes without acting.

4) Support: your circle and professionals

At least one person "on the first call" + 2-3 people "during the day."

Therapy/counseling, mutual assistance groups - regularly, on schedule.

Formulate a request: "I need a pause and just to be listened to - no advice."

5) Relapse Plan

Triggers → actions: who calls, what you remove from access, where you spend the next 24 hours.

Zero fault - maximum analysis: what worked/did not work, what boundaries to strengthen.

Remove access to "breakdown tools" (money/devices/contacts) for at least 72 hours.

6) Digital hygiene and "quiet hours"

Turn off push notifications, subscribe to silent mode at night.

Remove trigger channels/subscriptions, enable blockers.

Create a quick access screen to useful applications: breathing, habit tracker, notes, support contacts.

7) Financial "fire plan"

Separate mandatory and desirable spending; enter the "recovery envelope."

Turn off auto payments, add limits on impulse expenses; if necessary - consultation with a financial assistant/debt advisor.

Small victories: a week without impulse purchases/spending - mark and strengthen the routine.

8) Working with thoughts and emotions

1 page diary: "How do I feel? What am I thinking? What good can I do for myself now?"

Practices: breathing (4-4-4, 5-2-7), progressive muscle relaxation, short meditation presence 5-10 minutes.

Remember: emotions come and go; solutions - after sleep and water.

9) Boundaries and "no"

Define red zones: people/meetings/places that are still prohibited.

Rejection script: "Recovery is important to me now. I will skip/leave early"

Protect the calendar: leave buffers, do not overload yourself.

10) Meaning and joy without triggers

Bring back replacement activities: music, drawing, sports, volunteering, studying.

Plan small rewards for stability: a trip to the cinema, a meeting, a new book.

Write "why": three lines about what recovery gives you (people, dreams, freedom).

Plan 24 hours/7 days/90 days

24 hours (stabilization)

Water, food, sleep. Walk 20 minutes.

10 minutes of breathing + 1 diary page.

Notify "person on first call."

Enable "quiet mode," remove triggers from access.

7 days (rhythm)

The same lift/hang-up; 5 × 20 minutes of movement.

2-3 meetings: therapy/group/conversation with a loved one.

Trigger map + 3 working replacements.

Small financial plan: no impulse spending 7 days.

90 days (robustness)

Fixed sleep/food/movement habits.

Regular support and reconciliation of progress once a week.

Expansion of "good zones": hobbies, studies, volunteering.

Public (for yourself/mentor) report on key lessons and adjustments.

Personal "dashboard" of progress (celebrate once a week)

Sleep ≥7 h/day/week: __/7

Workouts/walks ≥20 min: __/5

Diary/Practices: __/7

Support Meetings: __/2-3

Impulse spending: 0/1-2 allowed

Yes/No → Replacement Triggers Completed

Subjective traction (0-10): __ → trend: ↑/→/↓

Check sheets

Emergency (10 minutes):

Drank water, ate, breathed 4-4-4
Wrote 10 lines in diary
Called "person on first call"
Turned on quiet mode and removed triggers
Planned the next 2 hours without screens

Daily:

Sleep and lift on schedule
20 minutes of movement
1 journal entry
Practice of "replacement" at thrust
Little joy without triggers

Weekly:

Therapy/group/call-in session
Updated Trigger Map
Financial Reconciliation and Plan
A Meeting/Affair That Makes Sense

Frequent errors (and what to replace)

"I can handle it myself - I will not tell anyone." → Delegate part of the load: call, ask to be near.

Overload of the schedule. → Buffers and "one important thing per day."

Severe self-criticism for a breakdown. → No-fault analysis + immediate return to routine.

Ignore sleep/food. → Put them first in the task list.

Useful micro-scripts

"Pull like a wave - wait 10 minutes and take a breath."

"What matters today is consistency, not ideality."

"I choose a move that will keep me going in an hour."

Recovery is not willpower alone, but a system of support and small habits repeated from day to day. Keep a routine, talk to people, take care of sleep and body, prepare a "rainy day plan" and celebrate small victories. Resilience is born out of self-care - step by step.