Keeping a Positive Attitude in Recovery

Addiction can make a person miserable, and detoxing can make you feel chaotic. Emotions run high when you’re first getting clean. Your body and brain take a while to adapt to life without your drug of choice, which can cause mood swings.

Adapting and changing will take time. Getting clean and sober is scary for many people; living life without drugs and alcohol can make you feel like you’re staring at a vast abyss of the unknown.

Why Your Attitude Matters

A lot of what you experience in early recovery will be hard. You’ll sometimes feel like you want to give up, but that feeling will pass.

The unknown can be scary, but you don’t have to live in fear. Some days will be a challenge, and other days will be a great adventure. Your job is to stay sober, one day at a time. A positive attitude can help you hold on to hope for another fifteen minutes or twenty-four hours.

How to Change Your Attitude

Many people in recovery will refer to an “attitude of gratitude” when they talk about the tough times in their life. Finding gratitude isn’t always straightforward. But an attitude that’s focused on the right things will help you tackle life on life’s terms.

Start by keeping a gratitude journal. At the end of the day, every day, review the best parts of your day. Did you get to eat your favorite food? Did somebody go out of their way to help you? Did you get to spend time with your children, a friend, or a pet? Did you wake up clean and sober?

Gratitude doesn’t have to be about big things. In recovery, you may find that the small things keep you going. Start focusing on these little things to help your recovery journey. You can have a “bad day” and still find things to be grateful for.

Hold Tight to Hope

In addition to gratitude, start looking for hope. When you were using drugs, life probably felt pretty hopeless. Sometimes you’ll be frustrated in recovery or feel down. Hope, however, is found in 12-step rooms no matter how upset or frustrated you feel. It just takes listening to others to find it.

Hope is something that many people cling to when they’re new to recovery. Where can you “find” hope? Start listening to the stories of “old-timers” and hear how much their lives have changed for the better. Listen, as well, to the newcomers who can tell you their pain and misery they’re going through as they try to get clean and sober. The fact that people are still trying and wanting recovery is an excellent reason to have hope.

Start every day with hope if you can, learn to meditate in the morning to center yourself before your daily activities. Hope, gratitude, and hard work are all a part of your early recovery, and they’ll help you grow and change throughout recovery.

Getting Help

Recovery is for everyone, regardless of what or how much you used. There’s hope and help awaiting your call! We want to help you find your path to reclaiming your life. Please get in touch at 619-363-4767 to learn more about our program and how we can help!