When you’re rebuilding your life during addiction recovery, you’re improving on every aspect. Your physical, mental, and emotional health has probably suffered along with your career, hobbies, friends, and family. One of the most important obstacles along your road to sober living is improving your relationships with friends and family. Addiction takes a serious toll on your relationships, so make rebuilding these a priority.

1. Communicate honestly with them

One thing you need to rebuild with friends and family is trust. Communicating with them honestly and telling them exactly how you’re feeling about dealing with sober living is important. You don’t need to sugar-coat things or give them a false sense of everything being perfect. Be honest with your friends and family in your day-to-day life and any struggles you’re facing. They can face challenges with you instead of having you hide your problems. It goes a long way toward re-establishing trust. If you’re lying to them about how you’re doing, even if it’s to save them from stress, it could cause them to lose trust in you.

2. Involve them in activities

Let your friends and family be involved in your addiction recovery. Include them in outings or group therapy if those are options for you. Sober living is about getting reacclimatized with the world in a healthy way. Don’t shut yourself off after addiction rehab.

3. Clear up confusion about your past

Now is the time to come clean about anything you lied about in your past. Coming clean to your friends and family takes a huge weight off your shoulders, and they will value your honesty. Don’t let any confusion pile up that you’ll just have to clear up later. Take the initiative now, and tell the truth about anything that happened in the past.

4. Try to re-establish a routine or start a new one

Maybe you and your mom got coffee every Saturday morning or you and your dad played golf once a month. Try to re-establish those firm commitments, and make an effort to go to them. You can also create a new routine by asking your friends for weekly dinners or movie outings. This helps incorporate your loved ones back into your life.

Rebuilding your relationships is an important part of addiction recovery, so never underestimate the power of having loved ones around you.