Many of us living with addiction have been struggling for many years, sometimes for most of our lives. We know how exhausting, overwhelming and draining addiction can be. It depletes us of our energy and hope. It’s debilitating. Often when we make the decision to get help, we’re in a place of total frustration. We feel impatient to get better. We don’t want to waste any more of our lives. We’re rushing to pick up the pieces of our lives and put back together some semblance of our former selves. We feel desperate to get to the finish line. What we come to find out, though, is that there is no finish line. Recovery is an ongoing process, and we have to have patience with both ourselves and the process if we want to hold onto hope of recovering.

We’re going to slip up. We might even relapse. We’ll have to learn how to cope with addictive urges and compulsions and withstand the extreme weight of temptation. We’ll struggle with depression and anxiety. We’ll be trying to rebuild the relationships that suffered as a result of our addictions. We’ll have to distance ourselves from other relationships that aren’t healthy for us. All of these things take time and fortitude, and they can all be difficult. Let’s try to have patience with ourselves any time we make a mistake. When we say or do the wrong thing, let’s not beat ourselves up. Let’s have compassion for ourselves for just how hard this process is.

The journey of recovery puts us to the ultimate test – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We’ll survive the physical effects of withdrawal, which can be painful and even dangerous. We’ll work to change the thought patterns, mental habits and limiting beliefs that contributed to our pain. We’ll uncover the underlying sadness and fear that manifested into our addiction. We’ll strengthen our connection to spirit, to our inner self and our higher power.

This process can be an arduous one. We can be extremely hard on ourselves, demanding perfection and berating ourselves if we fall. We see our mistakes as evidence that we’ll fail in recovery. We slip back into repeating the limiting beliefs about ourselves that we’ve worked so hard to change. Be kinder to yourself. Be encouraging and uplifting. Be patient, with yourself and with the whole journey. The more we can cheer ourselves on, the more resilient we become, and the easier it is for us to keep ourselves on track.

Therapy is an important part of treatment and can help you to develop the emotional skills needed for recovery. Our comprehensive treatment programs include dual-diagnosis therapy, individual and group therapy, and trauma therapy. Call 888-570-7154 for more information.