Living with addiction can mean going through times where we struggle so much that we give up hope. We lose our ability to see a future for ourselves with joy, faith and optimism. Giving up hope can be a sign we’ve fallen into depression. It also makes us more susceptible to letting our addictions totally overtake our lives.

When we’re struggling with addiction, we often become disenchanted with the possibility of recovery. We don’t believe we can get better. We don’t believe recovery is in the cards for us. We become more cynical and pessimistic. We see hope as futile and the hopeful as naïve. Trying to maintain hopefulness seems pointless to us. The truth is that hope is actually very useful. It can be what helps us to motivate ourselves to keep going. When we’re afraid to face another day, when we’re exhausted and wanting to give up, having hope can help us to hold on.

Hope allows us to see a reality we don’t have yet but which we can work to manifest. It lets us look to the future and see all kinds of miraculous possibilities for ourselves. Hope keeps us from dwelling on the pain and regret of the past. It helps us to see that each moment is unfolding into a future of our making. All we have to do is focus our energy on creating the lives we want for ourselves. Holding onto hope gives us that energy. It gives us back our will to live. It helps us to navigate our darkest times and hold out for something better coming just around the bend. Hope whispers to us to get out of bed in the morning when it feels impossible. It tells us not to give up when we feel totally exhausted and overwhelmed by life. It helps us to find our calm center when we feel panicked.

Hope that once came naturally to us can be hard to muster when we’re suffering. It’s something we’ll have to practice until our natural joy and faith come back. Practice conditioning yourself to look for the good in things and to expect the best-case scenario rather than the worst. When you feel defeated, affirm to yourself that you can lift yourself up out of the dark place you’re in. Remind yourself that miracles can and do happen. Hope is the doorway to the beautiful future you can create for yourself when you’re open to it.

We’re here to help you get back in touch with your hope and reconnect with yourself. At Bayview Recovery, you’ll come back home to yourself again. Call 888-570-7154 for information on our treatment programs.