Going Back to School While In Recovery

Finally becoming sober and breaking free from addiction can leave you feeling pretty optimistic about your future. You have already been improving your life in many ways with your health, your lifestyle and your relationships. This can make you feel inspired to keep bettering yourself in other ways, such as going back to school while in recovery and finally finishing your education. While going back to school is always a great idea for improving your chances at a great job and good future, it is important to keep a few things in mind in order to keep your recovery a priority.

Wait Until the Time is Right

Sometimes, when people leave treatment, they have a new zest for life and are ready to take on as much as they can. However, this can often prove to be too much too soon and may accidentally backfire. That said, make sure you wait until the time is right to go back to school. This can mean a few months after treatment or even a few years. Once you are better able to manage your stress and tackle obstacles, you’ll have better chances of not hitting too many road bumps going back to school while in recovery.

Find the Right School

Do a little bit of research to find the right school for you. It might be in your best interest to start off with a local community college first and then transfer later, or it might fit your needs to go away for college. This might also include some trial-and-error before you find the perfect fit, so don’t feel discouraged if you don’t click with something right away.

Schools with Sober Options

Many schools have sober programs to help students that do not want to be surrounded by triggers. According to SAMHSA, Americans aged 18-24 are the fastest-growing demographic group seeking treatment for substance abuse, making sober schools a growing trend. These sober options include everything from sober study pods, sober extracurricular activities, and sober dorms. This allows students in recovery to enjoy their college experience without having the added pressure of triggers or party culture surrounding them.

Online Classes

Going back to school can be overwhelming for many people, including dealing with crowds of people and making sure you’re inside the classroom on time. For many people, this type of stress alone can be triggering. That’s why online classes might be a great option so that you can get your education in the comfort of your own home. This is an especially great option for people who need to work while going to school or have children to take care of.

Be Prepared

The most important thing you can do when going back to school while in recovery is to be prepared for what is to come. It is important to be realistic with what type of stress going back to school while in recovery can bring. If at any time you find that school might get in the way of your recovery, then you might want to consider other options as far as timing, how many classes you’ve taken on, where you’re enrolled or what type of support you might need.

Stress & Self Care

Plain and simple: school is stressful. There are a lot of deadlines, a lot of studying, a lot of reading and a lot of expectations. Nobody said school is supposed to be easy, so don’t become alarmed if you are feeling overwhelmed. Make sure you check in with yourself and find ways to lower your stress levels. This can mean anything from meditation, watching a funny movie at the end of a long day or reevaluating your class load. It might be tempting to take on a lot of classes and finish your degree as quickly as possible, but working at your own pace is much more important.

Find a Routine

Finding a good routine is one of the most important things to do while in recovery, and going back to school while in recovery can help you do just that. On top of creating a routine around your classes, make sure you carve out time for self-care and fun on top of studying. Creating a healthy balance with school and your personal life will help you feel less overwhelmed and will give you things to look forward to throughout the week.

About Pinelands Recovery Center

Going back to school while in recovery can be extremely rewarding. Just make sure you are doing it at the right time and at the right pace for you. Spend some time to prepare, set expectations and lean on your support throughout the process. While getting an education might be a big priority, make sure you remember that your sobriety is the most important thing in your life.

Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford is widely known as one of New Jersey’s finest, most respected addiction treatment facilities. With comfortable 30-bed accommodations and 24-hour professional staff, we can offer clients a serene, relaxing environment amid the lush piney woods. This stress-free setting with its sense of warmth and welcoming enables you to feel comfortable and confident about your clean and sober life ahead.

We will establish clear goals, both general in nature and specific to your needs. We continue to monitor those goals, to make sure that our clients are progressing and buying into their recovery plan. We thrive on assisting clients in feeling connected to the recovery community, share and demonstrate effective coping techniques, help clients to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior and everything else you will need to be happy and productive living a sober, healthy life.

We ensure that clients complete their planned concrete tasks, encourage hope, optimism and healthy living. Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives. For more information, visit pinelandsrecovery.com