Things to Remember when the Road to Recovery gets Hard

Boredom

In active addiction, sometimes, there is a sense of constant panic and anxiety, oversupply of drugs/alcohol, and relationship meltdowns. By contrast, sobriety can seem downright boring at times.

Change takes time, patience, and hard work. No one likes change, but in times like this, it is necessary. When you look back after obtaining some time sober, you will like where you are compared to where you have been.

One of the bigger contributors to relapse is boredom. Early sobriety requires that you learn ways of entertaining yourself. Otherwise, you may reach a point where the monotony of everyday life becomes unbearable.

Find activities that you enjoy and throw yourself in them. Even great pastimes may pale in comparison to the extreme highs of drug and alcohol abuse. However, the roller coaster of emotional and mental swings is not sustainable for long periods of time.

Practice, not Perfection

If, at first, you don’t succeed, try again. This age-old idiom is especially true when it comes to addiction. No matter how much time you have, perseverance is the name of the game. No one comes into life with an instruction manual. We learn as we go and pick ourselves up when we fall. There is no mistake so great that warrants you to give up trying to do better. Nothing.

One of the 12-step sayings, “Practice, not perfection,” is how you should view your life. You will probably not do everything right the first time, but keep coming back, and you will get there. Life is not about being perfect but doing the best we can with the tools and the time we have while we are here.

Some days you will be a difficult human being to be around. You may even destroy some friendships. Though this seems alarming, as long as you do what you think is right and take advice from others, you are doing your best.

When in doubt, reach out to those in the sober community and ask for help. The first times you lean on another person, the situation is difficult. We are not accustomed to trusting others, let alone relying on them in active addiction. However, people who have been in the program a little while have been where you are and understand. Find a sponsor and cling to this person if you have less than a year in recovery. You may think you know what your sponsor will say before you call, but you don’t.

Telling yourself, you can do it alone, or you don’t need to bother your sponsor is not true. This is your disease saying that you don’t need the strong bonds and trust in another person when, in fact, you do.

Leap of faith and immerse yourself in the sober community and 12-step program around you. You will recover, and your future will be beyond imagining if you remain open-minded and willing.