Many people who have struggled with addiction go into recovery thinking that they will automatically be healed and that life will be great every day. While recovery can make you feel better, and there will be good days, it is vital to acknowledge the fact that recovery is not all sunshine and rainbows. There will be days when you feel low and as if you cannot continue on your path to sobriety. On these days, you have the choice of determining how you respond to these feelings. If you feel low or have a bad day in your recovery journey, here are four reminders to help you get through it.
Everyone has bad days, even in recovery. You shouldn’t feel ashamed for having them, and you shouldn’t think that they will last forever; the truth is, they won’t. Bad days come and go, but they teach you lessons about coping with stress and negative thoughts. When a bad day comes your way, your first instinct may be to use drugs and alcohol to escape it. However, bad days in recovery offer you the chance to learn new techniques for coping with bad days that are healthier, helping you understand these so you can apply them to life outside treatment. When it comes to bad days, acknowledge them. Ask yourself why you feel this way and what you can do to make yourself feel better. Ask a sober friend or counselor for healthy alternative coping methods.
It can be easy to want to return to drugs and alcohol on a bad day in recovery because it’s how you know to cope with negative feelings. However, an excellent reminder to help you avoid this temptation is to remember that drugs and alcohol will only provide you with temporary fixes. While the high they give you may feel good for a little bit, it is essential to realize that the negative feelings will come back, perhaps stronger, when the high fades away. Substance use does not address the problem, nor does it help you heal from it. Therefore, it is essential to look for healthier, alternative ways to help you get through a bad day. A quick fix will not be the answer to your problem, no matter how badly you want it to be. Put in the work to heal yourself and learn how to cope with bad days in a healthier manner.
When a bad day comes your way, it can be all too easy to let it consume you. As you drown in the negative thoughts, you may begin to feel as though you will never get better, that you are meant to be sad, and that your recovery is doomed. However, these are intrusive thoughts that only serve to keep you ruminating on the problem without actually solving it. Feeling inadequate on bad days is normal, but you must remind yourself that you are strong, capable, and have the determination to push through. Your bad days don’t define you, but how you respond to them does. Choose to overcome them in healthy manners that support your recovery.
It is also necessary to realize that your recovery is not doomed because you had a bad day. Recovery is not meant to be full of good days and nothing else. The bad days teach you just as much, and you should acknowledge them for what they are teaching you to help in your recovery journey.
Bad days can make you feel like you are the only person hitting this low point. Others can tell you that they too have struggled, but your negative thoughts can have you thinking that no one has struggled as you have and no one can possibly understand what you are going through. If you have these thoughts, take a step back and put things into perspective. Other people are there to help you through bad times, especially those also in recovery. Rather than pushing away others, take the chance and open up to them. They have been where you are and can therefore empathize with you on a level that your friends and family may not be able to. You can learn new, practical ways of getting through a bad day by doing this. You just have to take a step back and listen rather than allow yourself to drown in your self-pity.
Bad days can feel consuming when you go through them. However, it is essential to remember that your recovery does not have to come to a screeching halt when they occur. Instead, remind yourself of the positives of bad days and remember that you can get through them. You had the strength to enter into treatment, and you have the strength to continue fighting against the dark days of addiction. Should you ever need help getting through a bad day, the team at NorthStar Transitions is here to help. We help people from a wide range of backgrounds get sober through evidence-based, genuinely personalized treatment. We are open through COVID-19 and ensuring the utmost safety of our staff and our clients. Call us today to learn more and begin your recovery journey at (303) 558-6400. As the only licensed addiction treatment center inside Boulder’s city limits, you can be sure that recovery begins at NorthStar.
