Life skills training is an important part of addiction recovery. Life skills training comprises skills like finding jobs, finding a place to live, paying bills on time, and building relationships. These don’t seem directly related to addiction recovery, but they are fundamental, and lacking these skills might endanger your recovery. Here’s why. Life skills build necessary recovery capital. Recovery capital includes all the assets that make you more likely to succeed in recovery. This comes in four main kinds: physical, human, social, and cultural. Physical capital includes the basics, such as having a safe place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, and some way of getting around. Physical health is also important, and whatever money or assets you have in addition the basics will improve your chances. Human capital is basically all the things employers look for, such as skills, education, values, and experience. Social capital is having people you can rely on, including friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, and mutual aid groups. Cultural capital is whatever your community, state, or country does to support recovery, including things like laws that prioritize treatment over punishment, and access to different forms of treatment. You want to have as much recovery capital as possible but acquiring it takes practice and skills. Everyone has different experiences in life, and some people may have missed out on learning some of these skills. If you’ve been struggling with addiction from a young age, you may have missed out on educational opportunities, work experience, and life responsibilities. While most people learn these things gradually and with help, you might leave treatment and find yourself having to learn it all at once and on your own. That can feel overwhelming. That kind of stress in itself is often a trigger for relapse, and the stress can be further compounded by not acquiring the recovery capital necessary to stay sober. Life skills classes are lead by qualified instructors and help fill those gaps in your experience. You learn how to find a job and how to keep it. You learn how to find a place to live and not get swamped by bills. You learn how to make friends with people who will support your recovery. Typically, you practice these skills with other people in recovery. Life always has its unexpected challenges and things you can’t control, but life skills classes give you a better handle on the things you can control.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or a mental health issue, we can help. Recovery Ways is a premier drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our mission is to provide the most cost-effective, accessible substance abuse treatment to as many people as possible. Contact us online or call us today at 1-888-986-7848.
