The journey of recovery is different for everyone. What might work for one person, won’t work for another one when trying to achieve sobriety. Each person has a different story and different reasons why they became an addict. But one thing all people who successfully achieved recovery has done, is become willing to change.
The ability to accept change in one’s life can be one of the hardest things for anyone to accept, even for those who aren’t in recovery. Change means having to reexamine one’s life and lose many things that were once familiar and comforting. But change is necessary for a strong recovery, because if someone has become an addict, one’s previous life wasn’t working anyways. When someone is willing to recover from an addiction they do these things:
- Make recovery their number one priority
- Are open to different types of treatment
- Stop blaming others for the addiction
- Accept they are worthy of recovery
Envisioning The Future
A person’s ultimate willingness for change is largely based on one’s ability to envision the future. Because when life seems bleak, the hope for a better tomorrow is ultimately what will keep someone going.
Envisioning a life where the constant stressors of addiction aren’t always around, and then life can be enjoyed in full, whether its truly enjoying family and friends, or once again realizing the potential that one holds inside. These are all things that someone should envision in one’s mind, so that the sacrifices that are currently being made seem worthwhile.
Set Realistic Goals And Expectations
While change is a necessary part of recovery, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. The idea of taking things one step at a time rings especially true for recovery from addiction. Every day living in sobriety or working towards achieving personal goals is a small victory. And over time these victories will end up as long-term sobriety.
However if a person thinks about being sober in terms of years, and not in months or days, the expectations can seem overwhelming and unreachable. This is why the person in recovery needs to set realistic goals and expectations and divide things down into manageable steps.
Let Go Of Anger And Resentment
Another very important part of embracing change is being willing to let go of anger and resentment. It’s often said that people who hold onto these emotions often suffer more than the people who they are directing their anger towards.
These toxic emotions can immobilize a person, so they’re not able to move forward with changing in their life in the ways necessary for sobriety. Instead they will hold on to the crutch of negativity and resentment that will not be able to leave behind unless they are able to start letting go of the past.
Asking For Help Is Not Weakness
No person should be expected to enact great change in one’s life without help, guidance, and support. And while everyone’s success is ultimately decided by the individual, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s a sign of not being scared of change, and being held accountable for one’s actions.
There will be challenging times during recovery, and having a strong support system is essential to helping someone get through the roughest spots. It should be remembered that not only does the addict have to change one’s life, but oftentimes the people surrounding the person have to learn to change with them.
When someone has become so incredibly dependent on drugs or alcohol, the desires and urges to relapse may be overwhelming. People in recovery will have to accept that they will have to find ways to not be slaves to those urges, and that means finding different ways to have fun, to deal with stress, and even what people to hang out with. The people who have the most success with recovery are the ones who are willing to make these changes.
