Recovery is a lifelong journey that takes constant dedication. You have to wake up every day and choose sobriety no matter how challenging things may feel. However, there will be days where you question why you should even try. You may feel exhausted, burnt out, or hopeless. However, addiction is a chronic disease, meaning you will have to consistently manage your symptoms through relapse prevention and other coping methods.
On the days you question the point of sobriety, or if it offers a better life, having a list of reminders can help keep you on track and away from negative thoughts. If you don’t have a list of your own yet, use this one to help prevent relapse. Remember, sobriety will always be better than anything addiction could ever offer.
Many individuals develop an addiction through self-medicating mental health symptoms, which can, in turn, make them worse over time. To add insult to injury, your physical health suffers dramatically during addiction as well. From the moment you stop using, your body begins healing itself inside and out. The longer you stay sober, the better your overall health becomes. Not only will you look healthier, but you’ll feel it too. You will live longer, and your mental health will improve as your body’s chemistry balances out. These changes will leave you feeling more energized, happier, and healthier.
During active addiction, relationships with loved ones most likely deteriorated due to your behavior. Perhaps you hurt the ones you care about most as you made your addiction your top priority. Now that you are in recovery, you have the opportunity to not only rebuild relationships with your loved ones but also to make them grow more profound.
The process won’t always be easy, as your loved ones may not be ready to forgive you just yet. You can help the process by acknowledging the wrongs you did, taking responsibility for your actions, apologizing, and proving that you are serious about sobriety and gaining your loved ones’ trust back. Over time, your loved ones will see that you are serious about recovery and will be more likely to welcome you back into their lives.
While struggling with active addiction, you most likely weren’t doing much to work towards your goals and dreams. Instead, you spent your time retrieving, using, and recovering from drugs and alcohol. Sobriety allows you to chase your dreams and live the life you always dreamed of. You can use the time you would’ve spent using drugs and alcohol to better yourself and further your life goals. Addiction could never offer you this opportunity, and it is not worth sacrificing it for a hit.
Funding a drug or alcohol addiction is more expensive than one may realize. To maintain an alcohol addiction, individuals may spend anywhere between $2400 to $5000 a year, depending on their substance of choice. Other drugs are even more expensive based on location and quantity.
When you spend this money on drugs, you are not spending it on nutritious food, a place to live, and other necessities you need to have a happy, healthy life. Being sober allows you to have the extra money in your pocket to put away, save for the future, and treat yourself more often in healthy ways. Extra money means additional opportunities, and addiction takes these opportunities away from you.
Individuals struggling with active addiction often put themselves and others at risk by engaging in impulsive or risky behaviors. For example, a person behind the wheel of a car while drunk or high puts themselves and others in danger. Innocent people may lose their lives because of a wrong decision, and you may lose your life because of addiction. Being sober helps you make better decisions and avoid risky behavior. Recovery thus allows you the chance to protect yourself and others more often.
Addiction feeds on low self-esteem, convincing you that you don’t deserve anything better than the situation you are in. However, recovery allows you to develop a close relationship with yourself. Your self-love will increase, and you will know your worth. This means that you will be less likely to settle for anything less than you deserve, thus giving you a rich and fulfilling life of happiness. Self-love is perhaps one of the most incredible things that sobriety can ever give you.
The long journey of addiction recovery can make you exhausted and burnt out at times, causing you to question the point of it all. However, it is crucial to remind yourself of the benefits that sobriety has to offer on these days. You gain many positives from being sober that addiction could never give you, and reminding yourself of these can help you prevent relapse on your worst days. If you need guidance during this time, NorthStar Transitions is here to help. We understand that recovery can be challenging at any point of the journey, which is why we offer programs for those in early and later recovery. Our aftercare programs and alumni network provide an excellent foundation for those in later recovery to have the support needed to continue. You can participate in person or online, and we will be there to support you the whole way. Call us today at (303) 558-6400.
