Part of our addiction recovery work is learning to value ourselves again. Many of us lost our sense of self-worth during the course of our struggle with addiction. Our dependence issues, along with all the difficulties that came with them, made us stop valuing ourselves. We might have suffered from low self-esteem and a lack of self-worth that fueled our addictions in the first place. It was often our insecurity and self-hatred that caused us to turn to addictive substances and behaviors to make ourselves feel better. How do we know where we stand in terms of self-worth? There are some important questions we can ask ourselves to help ourselves determine our self-worth.
Are we valuing ourselves? Are we respecting ourselves?
When we don’t value or respect ourselves, it shows up in drastic ways in our everyday lives, in our interactions, our behaviors, our choices, our thoughts and feelings, and our relationships. We think and speak poorly of ourselves. We focus on our flaws and imperfections rather than our strengths. We’re quick to point out all of our mistakes but not our many successes. We see ourselves as being weak for being addicts rather than as strong for surviving such a debilitating illness. We blame ourselves for our addictions, rather than seeing all of the causal factors at play. We even blame ourselves for the traumatic experiences we’ve endured. We think so little of ourselves that we have a tainted self-image and a warped self-perception. We don’t love, accept or appreciate ourselves, and this shows in how little we respect ourselves. We allow ourselves to be mistreated and disrespected by other people. We don’t call people on their hurtful behaviors. We don’t set or maintain boundaries. We don’t have standards for how we want to be treated.
Are we holding ourselves accountable? Are we taking responsibility for our well-being?
When we value ourselves, we hold ourselves accountable for our mistakes and choices, without beating ourselves up or making ourselves feel worse about ourselves. We take responsibility for our health and well-being. We know what a large role we play in our own happiness. We know we’re ultimately responsible for our recovery, and we love ourselves enough to have faith in ourselves. This faith makes us self-sufficient, independent and unafraid of responsibility. We don’t shy away from doing the work necessary to heal. We take responsibility for our lives and our experiences because we believe in ourselves and know our worth.
True recovery entails determining whether or not we’re valuing ourselves, whether or not we possess a sense of self-worth, in order to heal and rebuild.
The Guest House is a welcoming and supportive recovery home where you will be met with open arms, wherever where you are on your journey, without judgment or expectation. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.