You have probably experienced a time when you needed to do something difficult but found yourself reluctant to do it. Maybe it was a big, important project at work that could make or break your chances for a promotion. Maybe it was a difficult conversation with a friend or family member that you truly were not looking forward to. Or maybe it involved questioning some of the things you were taught growing up now that you are an adult.
Whatever the circumstance, doing a hard thing is…well…hard. But sometimes everyone has to face up to a challenge, whether they want to or not. This is certainly true for people who are in recovery from a substance use disorder.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Building Better Relationships Can Mean Ending Toxic Connections
When you are in recovery, it might be tempting to hang out with some of your old friends—the ones you used to hang around with when you were taking drugs or drinking alcohol. You might think that your recovery will not be threatened by those relationships, but the truth is it almost certainly will be.
So you have to do the hard thing: End your relationships with people associated with your old life and build new, stronger, and supportive relationships with those who will help you keep your recovery intact.
You Should Go to Your Recovery Meetings—Even If You Don’t Want To
Recovery meetings are a key part of the recovery process. By attending meetings regularly, you have the opportunity to be supported by—and provide support to—individuals who truly understand what you have gone through and what you are going through now.
But any number of things might make it hard to get to meetings as often as you should. You might be an introvert, for example, and a little uncomfortable around groups of people. You might have transportation challenges that make getting to meetings difficult. Or you might just be so busy that it feels like you have to give up recovery meetings to keep up with everything.
But while it can be hard to make these meetings a priority, the benefits of attending in terms of firming up the foundations of your recovery are undeniable. Do the hard work of making time for them.
You Should Talk Kindly to Yourself
Each and every one of us has an inner critic who takes great delight in reminding us of every little thing we have ever done wrong, every embarrassment we have ever suffered, and even things we might find a way to screw up in the future. It can be hard to turn that voice down and turn a more positive voice up, but that is an important thing to do when you are in recovery.
When you are down on yourself, you are more susceptible to turning back to drugs or alcohol as a way to feel better. But you can make yourself feel better in a much healthier way by repeating some daily affirmations that remind you of your many strengths and positive qualities. Here is a list of affirmations to get you started. Find the statements that resonate with you–or create your own.
You Are up to the Challenge of Starting Your Recovery
This entire blog entry has been about facing down challenges that arise during your recovery journey. But the first challenge you must overcome before your recovery can even get underway is your use of drugs or alcohol. When you have developed a substance use disorder, giving up drugs or alcohol can be extremely difficult.
That is because you are likely to find yourself between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, you want to stop using substances that are destroying your health, your relationships, your finances, and more. On the other hand, when you try to quit on your own, a variety of serious symptoms—including intense cravings for the substance or substances you have been ingesting—will likely send you scurrying back to drugs or alcohol. It can feel like a trap that simply cannot be escaped.
But just as we noted above that some challenges are better faced with others rather than on your own, we want to be clear that dealing with a substance use disorder is best done with the help of trained and empathetic professionals at a respected treatment center. French Creek Recovery Center—located in Meadville, Indiana—is exactly that kind of place.
We will see you through medically supervised detoxification so that you can get the drugs and alcohol out of your system in a safe environment that is free of temptations. We will follow that up with a rehabilitation program that provides counseling, resources, strategies for keeping your recovery going, and treatment for any co-occurring mental health disorders that might be entwined with your substance use disorder. When residential treatment comes to an end, we provide a continuum of care so that you are well supported as your recovery gets underway.
Leaving drugs or alcohol behind certainly is a significant challenge. But we are confident you can do it with our help. When you are ready to make a substantial change for the better, we are ready to help you transform your life.