Forming the right friendships is an important step in your recovery. Your new sober life should be fulfilling, and sober friends can help make that so by providing support, connection, and fun.
Having sober friends is also an integral part of your emotional health and reintegration into society. Making friends will teach you to relate to others without the crutch of alcohol or drugs.
On the flip side, hanging out with the wrong peers can threaten your hard-won sobriety. Especially during early recovery, you might need a little help deciphering healthy from unhealthy relationships.
Positive Friend Qualities
Any new friend should be supportive of your sobriety and share similar goals and values. This will help ensure that you stick to healthy habits and stay motivated to reach your recovery goals and follow your sober dreams. Other positive qualities to look for in a new sober friend include:
Any new friend should be supportive of your sobriety and share similar goals and values. This will help ensure that you stick to healthy habits and stay motivated to reach your recovery goals and follow your sober dreams. Other positive qualities to look for in a new sober friend include:
- Honesty and trustworthiness
- Kindness
- Compassion
- Self-awareness
- Dependability
- Non-judgmental
- Good listening skills
- Strong understanding of personal boundaries
- Healthy sense of humor
- Supportive and encouraging
- Able to express emotions and feelings in an honest and direct way
Friendship Red flags
In addition to looking for positive qualities and personality traits, it’s also helpful to ask yourself the following questions while getting to know a new friend:
- Is this person reliable or dependable?
- Do I feel better or worse when I’m with this person?
- Does this person make me feel insecure?
- Do I feel controlled or manipulated in any way?
- Is this person jealous or possessive?
- Do I have any concerns about this relationship?
Relapse Prevention at Complete Harmony
From identifying high-risk relationships to learning mindfulness techniques that center you, our relapse prevention and aftercare planning will empower you and slowly eliminate the dangerous urge to self-medicate. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.
From identifying high-risk relationships to learning mindfulness techniques that center you, our relapse prevention and aftercare planning will empower you and slowly eliminate the dangerous urge to self-medicate. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.
