Let’s Be Reasonable
The confusing influence of addiction is often referred to as “cunning, baffling, and powerful.” The nature of addiction distorts insight into the illness, decreases judgment, and twists expectations about life in recovery. Setting reasonable recovery expectations means wrestling with the uncontrollable, the doubtful and the difficult. I can’t always control or bend the uncertainties of life to meet my desires. And I must face the limitations of my own abilities.
Getting Stronger
Accepting the unreasonable, tolerating the undesirable, and enduring the disagreeable makes me stronger. Yet, this is a difficult pill to swallow. Overwhelmed and flooded in the painful wake of addiction, most people unwittingly blend hope with wishful thinking, thus creating several distorted myths and fantasies about treatment and recovery. Recovery is often filled with withdrawal effects, cravings, temptations, loss of motivation, and punctuated with periods of apathy, worry, despair and depression. Still, the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term inconveniences and difficulties.
Life-long Effort
Treatment is difficult and life-long recovery often takes life-long effort. It is realistic to expect treatment to be inconvenient, occasionally frustrating, and expensive for someone. Coming to terms with this will help you tolerate the troublesome moments as they come. Resist getting discouraged when you slip and fall. Use these setbacks to add to your knowledge, increase your determination, and strengthen your resolve.
Change Your Future
Get stronger, take credit for progress made, and endure the difficulties as they arise. Accepting the past, and facing the reality of the present, enables you to positively change your future.
Recovery is a journey. Enjoy the ride!
