Are you new in recovery, have identified that one of your relapse triggers is having money & you are waiting or have recently got your stimulus check? I know it can cause anxiety for people if having cash on hand is one of your triggers.
Let’s come up with a few strategies to help you remain in recovery & not blow your stimmy on something you are going to regret.
Tips to Avoid Relapse When You Receive a Windfall like “the latest Stimmy”
1 ) Create a Spending/Saving Plan for the Money
Financial recovery is part of recovery as addictions can take a HUGE toll on personal finances. I’m sure savings are low or maybe savings is not your forte, create a plan for the money. Give a job to each dollar. It’s time to get your life together & part of that is being responsible with money.
2) Consider letting a trusted person in your life save it for you or perhaps open a savings account at a bank or financial institution.
Set the account up so you do not have instant access via your phone. That way you have to physically go into the bank, during bank hours to make a withdrawn.
Word of warning about a “trusted person”, make sure this is a healthy person & not one that is one of the codependent people in your life that you need to set boundaries with. Also family many times mean well but also can sometimes set you up for failure in a subconscious way. A lot of times they have enabled your addiction, so those are the people you do not want to use as an accountability, trusted financial person.
Let’s say you do not have a trusted person in your life as you are starting to creating healthy relationships, then the financial institution such as your bank would be a good, safe bet. They are impartial & are not emotionally invested in any decision making.
3) Don’t Carry a Bunch of Cash on You
If at some point you are having a weak moment and your day is not going the way you would like, you will reduce your risk of relapse if you do not have cash on you. Most dealers are cash based. If you do not have any cash on you or just a few dollars, you are not going to be able to purchase any or at the very least a very small amount of drugs/alcohol.
Those are a few quick tips so that stimmy doesn’t fund a relapse. Remember recovery is worth it!!!! I’m sure you can find some healthy way to use that stimmy 🙂 You Can Do This!!!!! but of course I had to post a funny meme about it 🙂
If you should have any questions or would like a free consult about counseling, please feel free to reach out to me at (727) 815-6017