Recovery gives us so much to be grateful for, from hangover-free Sundays to restored relationships with family and friends. As you endure the chaos and temptations of the holiday season, take a minute to reflect and count your blessings – they are more abundant than you may realise.
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The holidays are a time for joy and celebration with the ones you love. However, for those in recovery, the seemingly endless emotional and situational triggers present during holiday season make it an especially challenging time. Taking a moment to reflect on the things that you are grateful for in sobriety will not only give your spiritual wellness a boost, but also help to strengthen your recovery. Whether you have years of sobriety under your belt, or have just completed addiction treatment, we can all use a reminder of what recovery gives us to be grateful for.
Be Thankful for Your Strength
We all have moments of weakness, but the simple fact that you have made it into recovery is a testament to your strength. Congratulations! It takes an incredible amount of courage and willpower to admit that you have a problem, take the steps necessary to get help and face the challenges of recovery. In the depths of your addiction, you may not have even been able to imagine reaching this point in recovery and yet, here you are. When things seem a bit overwhelming, remember not to lose sight of just how far you have come.
Be Thankful for Your Health
Your body is a temple – even if you have not always treated it that way. If you are in recovery it is more than likely that you have put your body through all kinds of hell. But at the end of the day, you are living and breathing and can experience life all because recovery has allowed you to do so. Take advantage of this – run and jump and climb and experience everything you can, just because you can. Or choose not to – relax and watch a movie instead. The point is, you have the choice and this is something to be grateful for.
Be Thankful for Your Safety
In recovery, you have a much higher degree of personal safety. You do not have to worry about where you are when you wake up in the morning because you will wake up safely in your own bed. When sober, you are much less likely to engage in impulsive, dangerous behaviour, greatly reducing your risk of physical injury and sexually transmitted infections. You no longer have to worry about putting yourself into dangerous situations while scoring drugs or driving under the influence (not to mention the legal risks attached to these behaviours). Who knows where you would be if you continued on the path of your addiction, but here in recovery, you are safe.
Be Thankful for Your Guilt-Free Mornings
Greeting the day with a clear mind and no regrets is a wonderful feeling. You no longer need to wonder about what awful things you might have said or done while you were intoxicated. Waking up and not having to spend your morning un-tagging embarrassing social media posts, or doing damage control on any phone calls, texts or verbal slips from the night before is a relief. Having this peace of mind is certainly something to be grateful for in recovery.
Be Thankful for Your Freedom
Knowing that you are more than just a slave to your addiction feels great. Take a moment to appreciate the sense of freedom that comes from the knowledge that you are in control of your life rather than your actions being motivated by your addiction. In recovery, your time is truly your own. You can choose to express yourself creatively, dedicate more time to work, or to helping others. The point is, you decide – not the monkey on your back.
Be Thankful for Your Relationships
Without a doubt, your addiction put some strain on your personal relationships. Whether you were able to repair these relationships in recovery or you have formed new bonds in your sober life, your personal relationships are something to cherish. Be thankful for those who helped you realise that you needed help, those who stood by you through your struggles, and the new relationships that you have today because of your recovery journey. You can now be totally honest with those you care about – you no longer need to keep secrets or hide things about yourself or your actions. Be thankful for the quality time you can spend with your loved ones without the guilt that once came between you.
Gratitude is the Secret to Happiness in Recovery
Counting your blessings is more than just a way to distract yourself from the chaos of the holiday season. Gratitude has been shown to improve your mood, increase your energy and keep you motivated to achieve your goals. This is especially important in recovery when there are so many obstacles to sway you from your path of sobriety. Take some time every day to reflect on what you have to be thankful for – write these things down in a gratitude journal. When things seem hopeless, you will have a reminder of how great you really have it, which in turn, will help keep you strong in your recovery.
Addiction Treatment and Relapse Prevention in Sydney
Despite all that there is to be thankful for in recovery, you may find yourself in need of a little extra help to make it through the holidays. This is okay. The holiday season can be stressful, is ripe with temptation and may bring up some painful memories.
If you find yourself struggling to maintain your sobriety during the festive season, we can help. Contact the addiction experts The Cabin Sydney for more information today.
