Early recovery can be best described as an emotional rollercoaster. As you start feeling better and gaining mental clarity, you are flooded with many emotions, including guilt, shame, and remorse. While experiencing these feelings is a normal part of early sobriety, being stuck with negative emotions is a detriment to your recovery efforts. How can you reconcile your past while moving forward, making amends, and growing as a person? You must learn to find forgiveness in recovery.
This article will define forgiveness and how to cultivate self-forgiveness in recovery. The first step in finding lasting recovery is to enter drug treatment. Multi-Concept Recovery (MCR) is one of Southern California’s premier outpatient treatment facilities. We offer substance abuse and mental health treatment services that are evidence-based and customized to your specific needs. Transform your life with the help of MCR; call us today!
What is Forgiveness?
You may be surprised that many people have the wrong idea of what forgiveness means. Forgiveness doesn’t simply mean forgetting everything that has happened and ceasing to be angry at yourself or others. In reality, forgiveness is the complete change of feelings, attitudes, and behavior so that you are not dominated by resentment. When you can transform the way you feel about a horrible situation such as the harm caused by addiction, you can treat yourself and others with compassion.
A huge part of recovery is learning to let go of the past—and that is a tall order. You may have done horrible things to others while you were actively using drugs and alcohol. While it is very difficult to do, you need to be able to forgive yourself to bring forth healing. When you learn to self-forgiveness in recovery, you can change yourself and others will see those changes.
What Ways Can You Find Forgiveness in Recovery?
The art of forgiveness in addiction recovery seems impossible at first. You may have a million things to apologize for, and you may be afraid of what you uncover in yourself and what others may think of you. It is important to note that recovery isn’t a race; it will take time to work through your feelings and feel like you can move forward with your life. The following are tips you can use to cultivate forgiveness in recovery:
Embrace Compassion
The first step in finding forgiveness in recovery is to practice compassion. This involves taking time to put yourself in the shoes of family, friends, and others who were impacted by your substance use. You can gain insight into their feelings and why they may treat you in a certain way.
Be Accountable
Accountability is a HUGE part of addiction recovery. For you to grow as a recovering person, you have to take a hard look at yourself and your actions. While you were under the influence of substances, you are still responsible for your actions. Accept what you have done, but don’t let the past define you now or what you want to be in the future.
Have Reasonable Expectations
In recovery, you want the best outcomes for everything. You believe that if A, B, and C happen, you will get the desired result. Having a set of expectations will drag you down and disappoint you if things don’t go as planned. Instead, embrace whatever comes your way and learn from those experiences.
Forgive Yourself First
Oftentimes, people in recovery wait on the forgiveness of others to start the healing process. The fact is that you need to work on yourself and learn to forgive yourself first before you can expect others to forgive you. When you put in the work, make amends, and show people that you are working to become a better person they will be more receptive to forgive.
Put Yourself First And Find Recovery With the Help Of MCR
The journey towards lifelong recovery begins with the first step and a phone call to MCR. Our Southern California treatment center offers outpatient programs and services tailored to meet your unique needs and goals. Our experienced and dedicated staff will work with you in addressing your substance abuse and will give you the tools and support you need to completely transform your life. Start a new chapter in your life and call MCR toll-free today.
