Recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction is a deeply personal and emotional inward journey. Substance abuse affects people physically and mentally, and recovery can really leave people feeling disconnected from their true selves. One of the hardest things a person has to do in recovery is to learn how to trust themselves once more. Recovery is possible, it’s within reach, and being able to trust oneself is the key to making smart and reasonable decisions. The following article will discuss how a person in recovery can learn to trust themselves throughout the healing process.
Reminiscing about the past is something that must be overcome in order to recover from substance abuse. Furthermore, thinking negatively about the future and how it’s been affected by addiction is equally harmful to the recovery process. Ground yourself and focus on the current day you’re living. The best thing one can do is navigate self-forgiveness paths and consider recovery as a ‘fresh start.’
A big part of learning to trust yourself involves building your self-confidence and self-esteem. If you spend your days analyzing where you went wrong, it will be hard to feel confident in the direction of your life. However, if you set goals for yourself and work towards becoming the best version of yourself, you will notice that you’re accomplishing more and surprising yourself every day. Things that seemed impossible (i.e. spending a day with friends without thinking about substances) are now coming true, and once you see the potential in your brain, anything can be overcome.
Recovery is learning to take back your life from substance abuse. Learning to take responsibility for your decisions is important if you’re trusting yourself again. For example, if you’ve been asked to hang out with an old friend and agree, show up and be present. Refrain from looking for excuses and remember to be honest whenever you can. It doesn’t feel good when you lie, especially when you look back at it and think about how much easier it would be to be truthful. Be honest with the people in your life, and, most importantly, be honest with yourself and your emotions to build self-trust.
One of the most important things you can do to build back your sense of self-trust is to be patient with your recovery and refrain from rushing the process. For example, if you feel the temptation to use drugs or alcohol, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed, you’ve just hit a speed bump. Think of each roadblock as an opportunity to overcome the thoughts and desires that set you back and then work towards accepting your desires as a part of who you are and nothing more.
These are four things that you need to remember during the recovery process. For more information on how to build self-trust during recovery, contact Recovery Care today!
