Addictions take away the joy of being alive, social connection, and self-acceptance. They consume the brain and pull you from reality, taking away your right and capability to thrive in life, not simply survive.
Addictions, out of the many different kinds, take intense work and insight to overcome. No matter what anyone else says, not only is addiction recovery truly possible, but overcoming an addiction leads to greater self-acceptance and happiness throughout your life.
What is Addiction?
Addiction is not a weakness. Let us first understand that. In no way shape or form is addiction a matter of dampened willpower or failure. Addiction is a response to life events and is a mental disease. It actually reshapes the internal infrastructure of the brain.
The brain is composed of billions of nerve pathways created to form who you are as a person. Through addiction, the communication of the pathways changes at a cellular level.
Depending on the type, it can alter the perception of your body, create unsatisfiable cravings, distort personalities, hinder emotion regulation, influence logical decision-making, amongst many others. Having an addiction takes away the fulfillment and joy in your life. Motivation to experience and enjoy is stolen from your life, but it does not have to be forever.
The ability to engage and have social connections with your friends and family becomes a distant memory. Addiction steals you away from the most important people in your life, and the addiction affects them as well. They know when you are deeply struggling and feel helpless in the pursuit of recovery.
They know when the smiles are fake and can see the desperation behind your eyes. Addiction recovery is a combination of working towards building back the pathways, finding yourself again, and having the ability to connect with others again. Recovery is possible for every victim of addiction and getting professional help is necessary to find your happiness again.
Getting Professional Help Can Change Your Life
Choosing professional help for addiction recovery is one of the bravest decisions you can make. There are many different options for treatment and it is important to best find the one that fits into your recovery. Among the many types of addiction, each one takes a different approach. Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most struggled with.
To get a better understanding of this approach, visit Clean Recovery Centers long term addiction recovery. They have a clean three-phase approach that integrates leading-edge clinical therapy into a highly powerful program aimed at permanent sobriety. Give them a call or contact them online.
Professional addiction treatment provides the necessary tools to overcome and identify how to heal that you cannot find elsewhere. Trying to recover outside of treatment centers can be life-threatening and can hinder the process of finding your happiness.
Caring and understanding therapists listen and help to teach you different ways to combat the urges and obsessions. Centers provide the support you need to feel heard and understood. Connecting with others struggling with the same addiction in groups is key to finding what works for recovery, but also provide motivation to pursue a better life.
One of the key benefits of getting professional help is the focus on finding your true self again. The one who authentically smiles and laughs presently engages in life and has the ability to truly connect to others again.
In getting the professional help you need, it brings you one step closer to finding yourself again, and it is possible. The process greatly relies on the special ability to practice self-acceptance.
Ignite Self-Acceptance in Your Recovery
You have the possibility of recovering coursing through your veins and you deserve to feel free and happy again. Self-acceptance and compassion is the first step.
This recognition of how truly amazing you are is not forgetting about your addiction but recognizing the bravery it takes to overcome it. It is learning to embrace your true self and not what your brain tells you. These two steps will help you start this amazing journey.
#1: Practice Rephrasing Your Thoughts
Often times addiction makes you believe you are not worth recovery, have done too many things wrong, hurt too many people, and are inherently bad. These, however, are simply untrue. You are not alone in this battle, just see how others have shared and combatted the sabotaging thoughts here.
#2: Practice Self-Acceptance Activities
These activities help focus on finding and appreciating yourself. The goal is to embrace feeling good and getting to know yourself at a deeper level. To dive deeper into these practices, visit this resource for more options.
Lastly, you are worth recovery and thriving in life. It is possible to feel happy again and the first step is granting yourself permission to practice self-acceptance.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement.
We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
That we have to all appreciate the little things and to not take anything for granted.
2. What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate within yourself and/or life?
I’m blessed to have loving family and friends in my life.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? And what makes YOU most proud? Any goals and dreams that you still have?
Graduating from Arizona State University in 2013
Photo by Marco Lastella on Unsplash
