The things we do and say during addiction can haunt us. We may have caused serious, even irreparable damage to our relationships with friends and family, we may have lost a job, even struggled with financial or legal difficulties. Addiction has the tendency to destroy every aspect of a person’s life. When you’ve made it through treatment, and you’re waking up to your life again in sobriety, it can be nauseating to realize what’s happened, or how far we’d fallen before we hit our rock bottom. The guilt and shame are usually almost as strong as the guilt and shame we feel in the grip of addiction.
When we’re faced with the truth about our past choices, and as we work to move forward, many people find that they struggle with constantly feeling down or depressed. In some cases, depression had already taken root when the addiction began, but for others, they simply feel like they don’t have the right to enjoy life and be happy. This is especially true when a person has caused extreme heartache or troubles for a friend or family member. It can be tempting to wallow in these types of thought, but you worked to get sober to get your life back, why waste it being miserable?
You owe it to yourself to be happy. Life will never be perfect for anyone on Earth, and we all make choices we regret. What’s important is how you choose to move forward from that. If all you do is berate yourself or keep yourself unhappy, then you’re simply digging yourself into a different kind of hole. You fought hard to make it to sobriety, and it was all for nothing if you don’t give yourself permission to be happy and enjoy that sobriety.
It’s okay to be happy, even if you made mistakes. It’s okay to be happy, even if you struggled with addiction for a long time. It’s okay to be happy, even if people you want forgiveness from can’t give it. It’s okay to enjoy a movie, or visit with a friend over a meal full of laughs. It’s okay to enjoy a run, or paint, or build something. Whatever gives you joy in your sobriety, give yourself permission to spread your wings and really enjoy life again, and focus on it.
Recovery is a new life beyond your wildest expectations. The future is yours when you make the decision to seek treatment. The Springboard Center offers a 5-week residential treatment program, providing the Permian Basin with quality and accessible mental health care. Call us today for information: (432) 620-0255
