Acceptance is the Key
You are here:Do you accept that you have a disease? Accepting that you are powerless over your addiction and that your life is unmanageable (because of this fact) is the first step to recovery. Many people struggle with acceptance in recovery.
Addiction is a painful disease that affects a lot of people. Your friends, family When you have a substance use disorder, it’s easy to feel shame and fear. When people start to tell you that you need to accept that you have a disease, you may resist. You may not feel “sick” in the body once you’ve detoxed. Your mind is, however, still detoxing from the effects of your substance use for at least your first thirty days sober.
Every day you stay sober, you’re going to have to accept that you have a disease. This disease, or disorder, is the reason you can’t pick up a drug. There’s nothing wrong with having this disease. But you need to accept it to stay healthy and safe.
What is Acceptance?
Acceptance means a lot of things to a lot of people. In recovery, acceptance is an ongoing exercise. Not everything goes your way all the time, so you have to accept the good with the bad.
To get sober, you must accept that you’re addicted and need help. When the support is offered, you take it because you accept that you need it. You must be willing to do things that you might not normally do – such as going to an AA meeting every day. You will do this because you accept that meetings will help you stay sober.
You have no power over your addiction or the past. The only thing that you control right now is this moment. And at this moment, you can accept what is happening and choose to stay sober for today.
Acceptance is Day-By-Day
Every day, dozens of things happen in your life that you don’t have control over. Accepting them, rather than trying to exert your will or change them, will help you focus on yourself each day.
By accepting life and all that comes with it, good and bad, you’re not struggling or fighting reality. If you have shame and guilt in your past, you don’t have to obsess on it. Just accept that it is there, and you don’t have to obsess about it. Later in your recovery, you can deal with those feelings and maybe take action to do better. For today, it’s your job to stay sober a day at a time and take suggestions from others in sobriety.
Getting Sober
Everyone has personal weaknesses, guilt, and other emotions they must cope with in life. Accepting that these feelings exist doesn’t mean you have to dwell in them.
As you stay sober longer, you’ll work the twelve steps and begin repairing your life. Some things will go the way you hope, and some won’t. Acceptance will help you stay sober and more serene along the way.
Getting Help for Addiction
At Design for Change, we help our clients get sober and reclaim their lives, one day at a time. You deserve to live a better life without the use of substances. We can help! Give us a call at 855-997-1372 to learn more about how we can help.
