Believe In The Power Of Recovery
Achieving something of value typically begins with the belief that one can accomplish a goal if they set their mind to it. With an addiction problem, self-doubt can creep into the picture and keep a person from believing that they can change or that living drug free is truly attainable. As a counselor, I have heard many clients say over the years they had given up on thinking their lives could ever change. But they did change!
The beauty of belief is that it opens doors to what is possible. Possibilities are around every corner – often just out of view. But just because something is momentarily out of view does not mean that it does not exist. We all know stories of famous people down through history who defied the odds to achieve great things. There are success stories all around us everyday of average people who have big challenges in their lives. Many of these individuals experience real success because they believe that change is possible – that they can plot a new course in life by making a decision and then putting forth the effort.
Addiction is a disease that can be successfully managed. We know this is true because of the millions of people who decided to do something about their drinking or drug problem and then changed their lives for the better. It begins with the personal acknowledgement that a problem exist. And then one hopefully comes to believe that there really is help, and an answer, to this problem of addiction. Next, and very important, is the decision to commit to change. If one is sincerely interested in overcoming addiction, a personal commitment to change is a critical ingredient.
A client recently told me that he had fought sobriety for most of his adult life – rejecting the concern of others and resisting the suggestions of counselors, AA members, friends and family. After finally deciding to give recovery a real chance, he committed to substance abuse treatment and 12 step meetings attendance. No one pushed him into this. He decided to explore what recovery had to offer him. He now has more “clean time” than at any point in the past 40 years, and he is able to laugh at himself in a good way knowing that his belief in the possibility of change opened him up to a whole new way of life.
If you are struggling with addiction and feeling stuck, just know that many came before you and had the same problems, same doubts, fears and apprehensions. Stepping toward recovery, and the people & things that support a sober life, is always a good thing. You may find yourself saying to someone “Why did I wait this long? I wish I had done this sooner.” Believe that you are worth it, and that recovery is the gift of a better life waiting for you.
