During substance use recovery, you start making conscious decisions that, over time, rewire the brain. As you develop self-awareness, you gradually learn to live in the present and be comfortable in the ‘now.’ This helps you shift your consciousness which affects decision-making and self-awareness. Slowly, these shifts allow you to become healthy and confident.
As your brain heals and chemically balances, these conscious decisions are helping the brain rewire itself to become more balanced so the subconscious and the conscious can once again function without the influence of substances. Soon, you are no longer the person who was actively using substances. Instead, you slowly grow into a balanced and happy version of yourself.
What Does Substance Use Disorder Do to Consciousness?
Years of substance use will chemically change your brain. This means that over time, you become motivated solely by the substance. When addiction takes over, you are likely to ignore things that are healthy for you because you are preoccupied with the next time you will use. Other ways substances shape your consciousness include:
- Your brain begins to justify using substances and that you will not be able to function without them
- Perpetuates underlying mental health disorders, possibly creating a dissociated state of consciousness
How Does Becoming Self-Aware Shift Consciousness?
Self-awareness is how you consciously know and understand your character, emotion, motive, and desire. Self-awareness allows you to be conscious of your inner self and the world around you.
How Does Being Self-Aware and Conscious Help You in Recovery?
Addiction recovery is an affirmation of a complete change in consciousness. The first conscious decision to become sober allows you to recover from substance abuse. Once that decision is made, and you become self-aware, making one good conscious decision after another will influence your behavior and allow your brain to heal. Additional benefits include:
- Becoming more “mindful,” which makes you aware of being in the moment and paying attention to your inner self and the world around you.
- Using your ability to “reflect” more, you go over your thoughts, emotions, and behavior and pay attention to where you met your program, where you failed your program, and you recognize that “failing” is where you need to improve.
Effective therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) help you rewire your brain to replace bad thoughts and habits with healthier ones.
You can change and grow. Once sober, you will continue to make better decisions because you are no longer the person you were while using.
During active addiction, you likely experience a contraction of consciousness which means you become hyper-focused on your substance and lose the ability to be in the present. At The Guest House, we understand that therapies such as CBT and DBT help rewire your brain to gradually become more aware of yourself and your surroundings. With each healthy behavior, you will reinforce a positive action. To find out more about our programs, reach out today and call us at (855) 483-7800.