Attitude can make or break a person’s recovery! Those who fixate on the negative aspects of their life – there are often many in early recovery – are at a significant disadvantage. Conversely, individuals who do everything in their power to find the positive in every situation find themselves more able to stay on track. As we say here at PACE Recovery Center, Positive Attitude Changes Everything.
It is not uncomplicated to find upsides in one’s life in the beginning; guilt and shame are known to accompany early sobriety. When the thick haze of active addiction first settles the wreckage of the past is usually overwhelming. People begin to see the real impact their mental illness has not just in their life but also the lives of those they love when the dust settles after entering treatment. For most, looking at the big picture of addiction is extremely painful; some may find looking in the mirror too much to handle, at first.
Coming to terms with where your life is when recovery is in its infancy could be compared to an emotional rollercoaster. On the one hand, you have the elation that comes with making the courageous decision to address your disease. On the other, there is the reality that putting down the drugs and alcohol may be the least laborious aspect of one’s recovery; clients quickly learn that they will have to face their feelings and delve into the underlying issues of addiction to achieve their goals.
Treatment and working a daily program of recovery asks much of an individual, but each person can take comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Unlike the experience of active alcohol and substance use, you can take pleasure in knowing that you have support today. Some days will be remarkably difficult and maintaining a positive attitude will make all the difference. When a man sets a course for recovery, he comes to realize that his line of thinking can hinder progress.
Searching for Positivity in Recovery
Once detoxification is complete, the mind is clearer which can reveal some unwelcome aspects about oneself. A person has to contend with the outcome of leading the kind of life they once lived before finding treatment, and face – perhaps for the first time – some of the fallout. Simply put, most find it hard to move the facial muscles into the shape of a smile in early recovery and for understandable reasons. However, it is paramount that such men do not let the upsets of their past prognosticate the future.
Each person in long-term recovery was once a newcomer, and they had to make sense of the same types of realizations that those new to the program are wrestling with presently. The mere fact that they were able to skirt the pitfalls of early sobriety can serve as a source of comfort and hope that how you feel today will pass. If you remind yourself that feelings are not facts and that ‘this too shall pass,’ lasting recovery is possible; but, it is paramount that you surround yourself with positive people. Optimism is a guiding force in recovery and sticking close to the people you meet in the program with good attitudes will help you find the strength to spurn negativity.
Some who work a program swear by the aphorism, “fake it till you make it;” in recovery circles, the statement may be held as a platitude, one that you will hear much over the years. Essentially, the above saying suggests that those who imitate confidence and optimism will one day realize such qualities in himself. Simply put, smiling even when you think there is nothing to smile about can have a beneficial impact on your behaviors. Give it a try; you may be surprised.
Tips for Positive Outlook
A good many people new to the program believe they have deficits that need to be addressed. Some are out of work, while others have lost their license due to a DUI. There are those whose families are no longer conversing with them, and it will take time for their loved ones to notice the changes afoot. Still, others are in debt from years or decades of financial mismanagement; the list can go on and on, but what is missing from one’s life is not the salient matter. What’s essential in the first months of recovery is learning to live life on life’s terms and incorporating the principles of the program into everyday life.
Developing life skills in place of self-defeating behaviors allows people to address all the negative aspects of life leftover from the past when the time is right. Learning what it means to be responsible for your actions and accountable to others is a means of affecting the changes men and women desire.
Take stock of the small milestones each day as you plot a course to your broader goals. Each day that doesn’t involve drugs or alcohol is worth being proud about and may even result in a wave of joy, ride it.
Gratitude is an excellent way to improve your outlook. Be grateful for the things you possess right now, and for some of the things that you lack for they give you something to work towards. Tell those who are helpful to you how thankful you are to have their support. Do something kind, even a minute gesture of kindness, can go along way; when you make another person’s day better, you benefit too. Pay it forward!
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. – Aesop
Positive Changes
Please contact PACE Recovery Center if drugs and alcohol have made your life unmanageable. Our team can assist you in achieving your goals with the help of evidence-based therapies. We offer a safe, sober and supportive environment for making positive changes in your life. We are available at any time to field any questions you have about our program.
It is our great pleasure to be part of your incredible journey into recovery.
