Recognizing the Pink Cloud Phase

Many recovering addicts experience the pink cloud phase of recovery during their inpatient treatment. It can begin during a treatment program and extend past your discharge date.

The dangerous aspects come into play when leaving therapy while still on the pink cloud. When you’re on the cloud you feel like you’ve conquered addiction and you feel so good, you don’t see the need for further treatment or upkeep. You might feel confident that you’re one of the lucky ones to have been “cured” so quickly.

You get home and start returning to a pattern of everyday living. You feel great about your newfound sobriety. The confidence you’re feeling might convince you to stop your current treatment plans or relax your daily methods of staying sober.

Hopefully, you can recognize that you’re in the midst of a pink cloud and take advantage of the positive feelings. But keep in mind, recovery can be like a roller coaster. There are valleys and peaks, and you should be prepared for them.

For some, pink cloud syndrome is easily identified by an almost overwhelming sense of peace. Others may notice they don’t remember ever feeling this good without using. For some, it can be more subtle and even unnoticeable.

There are a few key signs you may be experiencing the pink cloud:

• You’re feeling overly energetic and euphoric.
• Your outlook on addiction and life is wildly optimistic.
• You firmly believe you’ve beaten addiction, and quickly.
• You don’t foresee anything getting in the way of your sobriety.
• You are not concerned about a relapse.

This is not to disparage anyone feeling hopeful or positive in terms of their recovery. But being over-confident about your progress can be just as potentially dangerous as having no faith in it.

How the Pink Cloud Can Affect Recovery

Feeling the pink cloud in recovery can impact you in many ways. When you’re first seeking treatment, there is a lot of stress in your life. However, when you feel the effect of the pink cloud, recovery takes a turn. You begin to see how your life will come together when you’re substance-free. You in the midst of positive things happening to you and around you.

Unfortunately, even though this is a good point to be at, the sensation will typically wear off. That’s when the reality of recovery starts to set in. Recovery is something that takes ongoing, daily effort. As you find your new daily routine, life will begin to feel ordinary again.

Acknowledging the pink cloud syndrome is key. If you are experiencing elevated mood levels, you can still practice stepping back as a healthy way to stay balanced. Ask yourself why you’re feeling good, acknowledge it, but more importantly, figure out what you can do for your recovery to keep this feeling going.

Developing new routines is part of any successful recovery. A fresh set of habits and a revamped agenda can be inspiring. But after a time, even healthy routines can begin to feel stagnant. For example, 12-step meetings might seem thrilling at first, but they can quickly become routine. But the constructive things you do consistently (whether they’re “fun” or not) are what keep you sober.

Returning to daily responsibilities at home, work, or school can also contribute to coming down from the mental buzz of an early recovery. Life doesn’t stop when you’re in rehab, and going back to your old environment and daily rituals might come as a bit of a downer at times.

But it’s important to remember that while achieving sobriety isn’t easy, the longer you work at it, the more natural it becomes. And the more that recovery plays a role in improving your life, the more you will enjoy it and be able to accept the down times.

Using the Pink Cloud As a Recovery Tool

While there are pros and cons to the pink cloud effect, you can certainly make the most out of it, even using it as a tool to ensure your recovery continues.

First, it’s perfectly normal to feel excited about successfully staying sober. But addiction–and life in general–is full of challenges. Understanding your own emotions and thought processes are instrumental in ensuring you can continue to live substance-free.

While you’re in the natural high of the pink cloud, it’s an excellent time to implement small changes and healthy routines. Often, the small changes and healthy habits you develop during the pink cloud phase will help power you through the down times.

This period of time is a good space to think about how you’ll handle rough days in the future. Anyone who’s struggled with an addiction can tell you there will be temptations to use, and they might be unavoidable.

Remember, mistakes happen. Relapses happen. They are an unfortunate reality, but they are not the end of your journey. You haven’t failed if you struggle or if you relapse, it is simply part of the process of recovery. The next thing to do is move forward, either by reaching out for help or returning to the tools you used to get sober in the first place.

While you’re in this phase, it is an excellent time to write out an action plan for when you feel a relapse coming on. Consider what you’ll do if someone offers you a hit. Decide who you’re going to call if you’re overwhelmed by the urge to use. Think about who you’re going to call for help if you do relapse. How will you say no if someone is trying to convince you to use again?

Consider writing a note to your future self. Think about how you’ll respond to a bad day at work. Or after receiving devastating news. What would you want to tell yourself when a temptation to use convinces you sobriety isn’t worth all the work? Now is the time to convince your future self sobriety is worth everything, even on the worst days.