Sometimes as we’re approaching recovery, we’ve gone so many years consumed by our addictions that we don’t feel we deserve to be happy. We’ve become so down on ourselves, so insecure and so self-hating that we subconsciously believe we’re meant to suffer. We also have spent years trying to avoid taking responsibility for our recovery. We might blame other people for our addictions, or we might see ourselves as the innocent victims of our afflictions. We give up on ourselves and on our recovery. We lose hope and stop trying altogether. We can become bitter, resentful and angry about how much we’ve been made to suffer. We feel we don’t owe ourselves, or anyone else for that matter, any of the hard work, sacrifice, or effort it would take to get better. Why do we owe it to ourselves to fight for our recovery?
No one can take on our recovery for us. We might receive help and support, but the work is ours alone to do. We owe it to ourselves to get better because we often haven’t given ourselves the chance yet to see how much we could accomplish when we’re sober, how happy we could be, and how much we could turn our lives around. We haven’t felt the redemption that comes from sobriety, the fulfillment we receive when we are finally living our purpose, the sheer relief we feel when we’ve made amends and reconnected with the important people in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to give ourselves a fighting chance at living a life we can be proud of and content with. We owe it to ourselves to see what possibilities are in store for us and how much potential we have to make our dreams come true. We owe it to ourselves to see just how much positive impact we could have on the world, how many people we might be able to help and inspire along their own recovery journeys.
When we’ve given up on ourselves, we often feel as though we don’t owe ourselves anything. We feel as though the world is out to get us, and we feel we have no recourse against the powerful forces victimizing us in our lives. We don’t feel we owe it to ourselves to keep fighting, often because deep down we feel inadequate, unworthy and unlovable, so we assume any attempts at recovery will be futile and not worth the effort. In order to get better, we have to believe that we not only are capable of recovery but that we owe it to ourselves to give ourselves the best possible shot at finding happiness.
The caring, compassionate staff of The Guest House is here to support you as you start your journey to recovery and healing. Call 855-483-7800 today for more information.