The misery of addiction may be enough to convince you to stop the behaviour, but it is probably not going to be enough to keep you sober long-term. The problem is that people are likely to forget how bad things were once they have been away from addiction for a bit of time, which means they will be ripe for relapse. In order to increase the chances of staying sober people need to create a life that is so satisfying that they will not be willing to give it up easily – in other words, they need to create the best possible life in recovery possible.
You Deserve to Be Happy in Recovery
Many will have done things while addicted to alcohol or drugs that they are not particularly proud of. They will have regrets, and if they can it will be good for them to try to make amends. It is also important to remember that by breaking away from addiction, people are giving themselves a second chance. This means that they are starting again with a clean sheet, and they cannot allow the mistakes of the past to hold them back.
At the end of addiction, individuals will usually be dealing with low self-esteem. This means that they expect very little out of life and may even be convinced that they deserve to be punished. It is vital that they are able to understand that this thinking is part of their illness. They have as much right to a good life as any other human on the planet. By giving up their addiction, they are trying to do their best, and they deserve the rewards of their good choices.
You Have the Power to Create a Great Life in Recovery
By managing to break away from your addiction problems, you have disproved the old saying that a leopard cannot change its spots. You have seen for yourself that major change is not only possible, but it is also something well within your capabilities. You need to ask yourself this question – if you are able to overcome a powerful addiction problem, what else are you capable of achieving. The answer is that you have the power to move your life in the direction you want it to go.
If you are willing to do what is necessary, you will be able to create a way of life where you will find peace and fulfilment. This is not to say that it is going to be easy or that you are never going to have bad days. The reality is that become a success at anything, including life, requires a great deal of effort and persistence. You can expect plenty of hardship along the way. The good news is that by breaking away from addiction you have always shown yourself that you have the capability of applying the required effort.
What is the Best Life in Recovery?
The term ‘best life in recovery’ is a bit vague. This is because there is no one best life that is going to be suitable for everyone. There is only the best life for you. One of the most amazing gifts of recovery is that people will often be able to find the thing that they went looking for when they began using alcohol or drugs. For example, many will turn to these substances because they want to enjoy peace of mind – the only problem is that it doesn’t work. When they become sober though, they really can create the conditions that will mean that they enjoy great peace of mind most of the time.
It can be difficult in the early stages of recovery to determine what some would consider the ‘best life in recovery’. This is why it may be better to just have some general goals and work towards these. So long as they keep moving their life in a positive direction – the things individuals really want will become clearer to them. All they really need to do in recovery to create the best possible life is to face the challenges that come their way.
Why Do People Fail to Create the Best Possible Life in Recovery?
It is a very sad fact but many people go to all the trouble of breaking away from addiction but then sell themselves short by settling for a mediocre life. This can happen when people fail to tackle their low self-esteem or are faced with challenges they refuse to face. There are also those who just feel that they have done enough by giving up alcohol and drugs and do not wish to stretch themselves any further. This can actually be a very dangerous situation because when people are not going forward in recovery it will usually mean they are going backwards.
Importance of Facing the Challenges of Recovery
The fact that you have managed to break away from alcohol or drugs is a great first step, but it doesn’t mean that life is going to be all downhill from here on in. You are going to be faced with many challenges in the future and the way you rise to these challenges will determine the type of life you are going to live. If you decide to avoid facing these challenges, you could end up in real trouble – this is the path back to addiction.
People who avoid the challenges of recovery will stop making progress. They will develop dry drunk syndrome, or they will relapse. Dry drunk syndrome refers to a situation where you are physically sober, but you still behave in much the same way you did in the past. This is a very unsatisfying way of living and you will be full of negativity. Staying sober will be like serving a prison sentence if you are caught up in dry drunk syndrome. It will also mean that life will continue to be hard for your loved ones.
Every time you overcome a challenge in recovery, it moves you further along the path. It will mean that you will witness steady improvements in your life, which will encourage you to keep doing more. You will be living a satisfying life, and you will be very unwilling to give this up for a return to alcohol or drugs.
Importance of Realistic Expectations When Creating the Best Life in Recovery
You do have the power to create a fantastic life in recovery. The problem is that if you become too fixated on what this life should involve, it can actually hold you back. It is therefore recommended that you keep your expectations to a minimum. This means that you expect things to improve, but you are not caught up too much in the exact details of how they will improve. It also means that you expect there to be times when the going gets tough and you appear to be going backwards – this is all to be expected and is perfectly normal. So long as you have realistic expectations, you will not be too disheartened by these down times.
