Addiction is a serious thing that many of us have to cope with. It can alienate us from loved ones and can cause estrangements that can sometimes take a lifetime to heal. Addiction and its recovery are a hard process, but success can happen if you dedicate yourself to having a better life. In terms of addiction recovery, many people focus on resisting the temptation of the addiction. However, a big part of recovering, is getting in control of your emotional health, specifically in dealing with the sadness that often goes hand in hand with addiction recovery.
The first thing you need to do in dealing with the crippling sadness that can knock us down even on our best days, is acknowledge its presence. We all tend to assume that we must walk the pain of recovery alone and we push aside those who are trying to help us. We need to acknowledge the fact that we are feeling sad, and then reach out to a coach or a mentor that can help us deal with it. In this way, we’ll experience companionship and the sadness will unite us with help, rather than estrange us from it.
Accepting help from someone who can provide it is a sign of strength and understanding your own limits. Do not listen to that little voice in the back of your head that tells you asking for help is weak. That is the sadness talking and will lead you down the path of failure if you listen to it.
You must commit yourself to the battle in front of you. There will be hard and easy days, and you have to promise yourself and your mentor that you will ignore the urge to run and hide when it gets tough and hard to handle. When those days come, you’ll have the option of growing and learning from the pain rather than letting it consume you.
Your mentor can help you come up with a plan that will aid and guide you in your recovery process. On the good and bad days, refer to the plan and make sure that you dedicate your time and energy to following it. Even on the hopeless days, this plan will keep you from falling into the pit of despair and sadness. If you cannot fight for yourself, then fight for the ones you love.
Finally, make sure you hold yourself responsible for your life choices. If you have a setback and need to go backwards to an easier step in the plan, make sure you confess to it. Admitting that you’ve had a setback makes you strong and motivational, not weak and stupid. This is a process, and having a plan and a mentor will help you improve your quality of life.
While the addiction itself is hard to fight, sadness is also a powerful and tricky component that makes your journey harder. Rely on the tips here and the people around you to make sure that it doesn’t consume you and send you spiralling downwards. You can fight the sadness and enjoy an addiction-free life.
Addiction is a serious disease that should never be dealt with alone. Contact our helpful intake coordinators at Intervention Drug Rehab Association to learn about the wide variety of addiction recovery programs we offer.
