When you can admit you have an addiction, you begin to reflect that the people who mean the most to you have been affected by your actions. Recovery is a bumpy process that can be unpredictable. As you try to get sober, the mind can keep bringing you back to your addictive nature. It is seen as an escape from reality.
To move to the next step in our substance abuse recovery process, we need to think of ourselves in a positive light and discover self-acceptance. Do not worry about how others may feel about you, how you perform on a daily basis or how you look. Commit yourself to living with integrity and self-respect. With a positive outlook on who you are as a person, it will be easier for you to get past your addiction.
How Does Self-Acceptance Help Towards Recovery?
Once you have self-acceptance, you will be able to recognize your addiction and stay on the path to recovery. In psychology, the term for self-acceptance and feeling safe is referred to as ‘mindfulness.’
Mindfulness helps you to understand the relationship between your feelings and actions, or cravings to your addiction. Put yourself outside your body and learn to witness your inner process. Ellen Langer forms mindfulness as the cognizance of what impels you to behave as you do, and when you follow her formulation you can then control your environment.
Through mindfulness and self-acceptance, you begin to realize you are not defined by your habits and behavior. You have the power to change and overcome those addictive forces pulling at you.
With the right mindset, you begin to feel safer in your body and accept the treatment with a positive attitude.
Remember that self-acceptance and the understanding of mindfulness is just one step in your journey towards recovery. It gives you the sense that you are always giving your all and doing the best you can to change your lifestyle.
Recovery helps you get your life back on track. When you can accept yourself for who you are, without relying on drugs or alcohol to tolerate yourself, recovery becomes a reality. You will heal your family and begin to re-establish that relationship with your friends.
The first step to recovery is just a phone call away. Call a support program or rehabilitation placement firm to overcome your habits and tendencies, and treat your addiction with options customized for your needs. In order to recover, you have to discover how to accept yourself. You are not alone.