Being comfortable in recovery around recovery peers is uncomfortable enough. Trying to be comfortable around peers who are not in recovery can be even more uncomfortable. Here are three tips to navigate those uncomfortable early recovery experiences.
Be Super Sober And Be Proud Of It!
Recovery is awesome and you are awesome for choosing a life of abstinence free from the control of drugs and alcohol. You are sober and you can be proud of that. Too often, people focus on the fact that they had to go through a hard time in addiction, abusing drug and alcohol, to get sober and make these changes. “Rock bottom,” the world famous author J.K. Rowling famously stated, “became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” So you hit a bottom in life. Now you’re choosing to go only one direction- up. You can be proud of that. You should be proud of that.
Fake It ‘Till You Make It
You might not be proud of your recovery, and that’s okay. Many people in the early months of recovery aren’t even excited to be sober. For one thing, detox and withdrawal can be really hard. Coming back to life is an exhausting process! The brain wants to turn to what is easiest and what it knows- drugs and alcohol. You might not be hopped up on recovery yet because your brain actually doesn’t know how. Drug and alcohol addiction depletes the brain of its natural ability to produce dopamine- a neurotransmitter which creates pleasure in the brain. Your serotonin levels are likely off too. That doesn’t mean recovery isn’t awesome (because it is) but it means you’re having a more difficult time experiencing awesomeness which isn’t created by high amounts of drugs and alcohol. So fake it until you make it. Before you know it, you’re forced smiles and awkward encounters are going to get easier and even enjoyable.
Prepare To Hear Everything About Recovery
People really think they’re experts in life, especially when it comes to your addiction as well as your recovery. The truth is, people just cannot know what it is like to be fully chemically dependent upon drugs and alcohol, hit bottom, surrender to powerlessness, and build yourself back up from scratch. Identifying with addiction and recovery is hard to do, which is why many people try to find something similar they can relate to you. Or, they’re going to tell you that you weren’t addicted, you don’t need recovery, and offer you a bunch of other opinions. Remember, what other people have to say about your recovery doesn’t matter. Your recovery is about you and your addiction, as well as the fact that you never want to be addicted to anything, ever again. Opinions are nice, but they can’t change the unshakeable commitment you’ve made to yourself.
Everyone is capable of recovery because everyone is capable of change. There is a freedom in recovery waiting to offer you refuge from drug and alcohol addiction. Design For Change is a residential treatment center offering multiple levels of care as well as specialized treatment programs for anyone willing to take action and make a change in their lives. The peace of mind is unparalleled. Are you ready? Call us today for more information at (877) 267-3646.
