Rebuilding trust after addiction is an incredibly important task. You need to rebuild the trust within yourself and with all of the people in your life that your addiction may have impacted. Rebuilding trust is something that takes time. It takes effort, and you will need to work with your loved ones to rebuild healthy and supportive relationships where everyone feels comfortable. As you begin your journey of rebuilding relationships, you may want to work with a therapist to ensure that you have the support you need during this process. Here are a few ways you can begin rebuilding trust.
Determine Who Needs an Apology
Who among your family members and friends has been impacted by your addiction? Which members of your support system have you taken for granted, said something you regret, or did something that hurt them? Who in your life deserves an apology? Not every single relationship prior to treatment should make it into your life after treatment. Not everyone in your life needs an apology.
Being able to distinguish a healthy relationship from an unhealthy relationship is vitally important to your well-being and recovery. Work towards only having strong and healthy relationships in your life. If your addiction has strained those healthy relationships, then those are the ones that you need to work on repairing.
Think Through Your Thoughts
Think through your feelings and emotions. What are you feeling? How do you feel about the progress you have made in treatment? Do you feel comfortable with your recovery? Thinking through your thoughts will help you articulate everything you want to say. What sort of impact do you want to have on your loved ones? Work with your loved ones to think through your thoughts together and work as a team.
Prepare Ahead of Time
If the thought of speaking with your loved ones causes you anxiety or stress, consider preparing ahead of time. Practice and write out what you want to say to your friends and family members. You can think about the main points you want to stress or what you want to say to each specific person.
Preparing ahead of time gives you the opportunity to calmly decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. Consider the setting and your body language. Everything combines and creates an atmosphere. Your loved ones deserve you to prepare and think about how you plan to rebuild their trust on an individual basis.
Consider Changes
What changes have you made or will you be making? As you think back to your life before treatment, probably a lot has changed. You have established goals, changed your lifestyle, and begun to learn more about your mental health issues and overall well-being.
Growth does not end when treatment does. As you have reached sobriety and focused on your mental health, you made remarkable changes. Those changes will continue for the rest of your recovery. You will continue to grow and change. With every change, your recovery will change with you.
It may not be easy for you to rebuild some of your relationships. Some people may want to witness the changes in you for themselves. They may want to see you making different choices or exhibiting different behavior. Stay positive and continue to push yourself forward. You are capable of change, and you have already changed a considerable amount.
Share Your Goals
Talk about your goals if you feel comfortable doing so. Sometimes people who have never experienced addiction don’t know what it is like. They do not understand what you are feeling or what you have overcome. They may also not understand what recovery looks like. That is okay. If you feel comfortable and they are willing to listen, then explain to them what recovery is like.
What are your goals? What are you pushing yourself towards every day? Share with them what you fear and why you chose specific goals to work towards. As you open up about what you are feeling and experiencing, it may help your loved ones to begin feeling connected with you and trusting.
Rebuild Trust With Yourself
While it is essential to rebuild trust with your loved ones, it is equally important to rebuild the trust with yourself. Recovery is an amazing time. However, it can also be a scary time. You have overcome a huge obstacle. Addiction is a scary and powerful thing. Learning to trust yourself is key to growth. Trust that you will make the right and healthy choices if faced with a risky situation. Trust that you will maintain your sobriety and keep pushing towards your goals. Trust that you will work on only having healthy and supportive relationships.
Rebuilding trust after addiction can be an enormous task. You will want to rebuild trust with your loved ones and also with yourself. Determine who in your life you should rebuild trust with. Determining which relationships are healthy and which are unhealthy is essential. Examine your thoughts and consider how trust needs to be rebuilt for each individual relationship. Consider talking with your loved ones about your recovery and your goals. Rebuilding trust will be unique to every relationship. Trust yourself to learn and know how to stay healthy and show others that you have changed. Here at The Guest House, we understand that rebuilding trust is a huge task. It can be scary and challenging to know where to begin. We are here to help you learn the skills and tools needed to rebuild your life and your relationships. Call us today to learn more about our post-treatment support options at (855) 483-7800.