You’ve made the important decision to enter rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, and you should be proud of the step you’ve already taken to once more create a quality life for yourself and for those around you. As you enter the process of rehabilitation, it will be important to know that you’ll likely face difficult emotions and have to face the mistakes you have made in order to truly heal.
The recovery process; what does it entail?
There are several components to any effective treatment program. You will be undergoing a medically-supervised physical detoxification process, entering various types of emotional therapy to process through difficult emotions, and learning once again to relate to and socialize with others in healthy ways. Attempting to gloss over any of these steps, or to run from any part of the process will result in relapse, a continuation of the cycle of addiction, and more destruction in your life and in the lives of those who love you. It is imperative that you get this right.
Owning up to mistakes: Part of the process of healing
One telltale sign of an addiction problem is the tendency to think, behave, and act in ways that are harmful to yourself and to others. Recognizing the fact that your behavior has been destructive and working to repair situations and relationships in an attempt to move forward will aid in your healing process, and it will bring comfort and healing to others that you have wronged. Regardless of the damage that you have caused, you will have to face your mistakes and seek resolution for them.
Difficult emotions: Difficult conversations
As you begin uncovering your mistakes, it is a certainty that you will have to face difficult emotions and have some very difficult conversations with others in an attempt to bring healing to others. Some will be willing to forgive, while others may not ever want to hear from you again. Instead of making excuses with regard to why you can’t make contact with these people again, you must try to bring integrity to your healing process. The more thoroughly you can approach your process, the more staying power your healing will have.
Apologies vs. amends
AS part of your process, you’ll be involved in making both apologies and amends to others, as well as physically cleaning up the damage that you have done. Apologies are sincere words of regret and intent that demonstrate your willingness to change patterns, while amends are demonstrated actions that your process is in full swing and that you are making changes for the better. Cleaning up physical situations like the loss of a job, a breakdown in finances, or the loss of a home is messy and difficult, but they have to be done to prove both to you and to others that you can handle life on your own, a quality life after recovery. Instead of looking at ALL of the situations you have created and have yet to fix, approach one problem and situation at a time, making a resolution with that piece before moving on. It might take weeks, months, even years to clean up the damage, but it is the only way to move on in a healthy manner.
Are there mistakes that cannot be cleaned up?
There may be people that do not want to hear from you any longer, and there could be situations that are long past fixing. You must still face these and find resolution and peace within your soul in order to move ahead with your recovery. Tragic things happen as a result of addiction, and you must look at all of the pieces and do what you can to bring resolution to even those situations and relationships that cannot be fixed.
Doing your absolute best is essential
There is no such thing as a halfhearted recovery process; it takes tremendous courage, strength, resolves, and support to fix your wrongdoings and heal yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. Our best advice to you? Don’t wait to start the process of healing. Dive deep, learn to love and support yourself, and receive the help offered to you by others by taking advantage of every aspect of recovery that is given to you. In doing so, you’ll be able to once again move forward and create a quality life that you are excited about living on the other side of addiction. Embrace the journey, and know that you are worth the effort! If you are ready to get started, give us a call today at (440) 253-9915 to see how we can help you create a better life for you and your loved ones.
