It might be risky to start dating while a person is just becoming sober. It’s critical to understand when it’s secure to start dating again to prevent a potential relapse. People should strengthen their coping skills, build their sense of identity, and maintain sobriety in the early phases of recovery. As a consequence, beginning a relationship now may be challenging. Most experts advise persons in early addiction recovery to pause on dating, starting a new relationship and making significant decisions for at least a year. Dating is okay when someone has already acknowledged the importance of being sober and commits to it. It’s crucial for individuals to re-establish themselves, demonstrate their capacity for healthy coping, and create firm boundaries when dating.
Why You Shouldn’t Date Until Your Rehab Is Over
We often encourage our Skyward Center, Dallas, clients to put their personal needs first and steer clear of dating during the first several months of addiction recovery. Many people however ignore these cautions even if they are for their advantage. It could be detrimental to your recovery to start dating as an individual who is still going through the early phases of recovery.
Here are some reasons why dating in early recovery could be risky:
Substituting one addiction with another
Long before a person seeks for assistance or attends treatment, addiction has already taken over and consumed their lives. Because of the lack of the substance that they previously abused, individuals experience a void in their life after quitting. Addicts in recovery may replace the void left by their old addictions with unrecognized new ones. If one starts dating relatively soon after treatment, intimacy or relationship addiction may replace their drug use disorder. Because of their newly addictive behaviors and their strong bonds with others, recovering addicts might never be capable of standing by themselves.
Development of dependency
An addict might feel like they have lost their entire identity when alcohol and drugs are no longer present. They must re-learn how to function in their daily lives without the help of these drugs and rediscover who they are without those substances. If they start dating in the early phases of their recovery, they risk becoming too dependent on the individual they are dating.
Risk of being in a toxic relationship
Even while not all relationships are unhealthy, at the beginning phases of recovery, one is probably in a vulnerable emotional state. Toxic or unstable relationships may develop since a recovering addict is normally struggling with low self-esteem or just because you depend far too much on others for support. Early on in recovery, breaking free of toxic relationships that might result in relapse or other serious issues may be challenging.
Risk of relapsing
Similar to how drugs and alcohol briefly lift someone’s spirits, dating can potentially worsen someone’s mood over time. After a time of addiction recovery, recovering addicts may feel pressured to revert to their former bad behaviors if they begin dating again. If they date somebody from their past, mainly if they try to reconcile with them, they face the danger of derailing their whole healing process.
Learn How to Foster Healthy Relationships During Addiction Recovery at Skyward Center
Skyward Treatment Center has offered specialized inpatient treatment for those battling with drug abuse and mental health illnesses for years. Call Skyward Center if you need help or know someone who does in or near Texas.