Recovery from addiction is a difficult road and one that you have to commit to for life, but it’s a road that leads to a better, more fulfilling future. While there are many treatments for addiction, a common element exists in all of them—a belief that you can recover. In other words, you have to have hope.
The Importance of Belief in Recovery
While you must first accept your addiction and have the desire to recover, believing in your ability to recover is a driving force that motivates you to move forward. If you don’t believe that recovery is possible, why would you try? Belief leads to motivation which leads to taking action, meaning seeking treatment and following your recovery plan. Your belief will lead you to take your treatment to heart and put all your effort into taking every step on your path to recovery.
Building Your Belief in Recovery
Accepting your substance abuse disorder is difficult, as is facing a long battle to recover. Often, it seems impossible, so how do you make yourself believe that you can do it? Everyone is different, but you can build your belief in a variety of ways.
Listen to Stories of Recovery
You can find many stories of recovery online, or you can talk to people you may know who are in recovery. You’ll hear their journey of addiction, the harm it caused, and how they came to realize that treatment was the only way out. You’ll also learn how they learned to believe that they could do it and found motivation. You may also learn strategies that they used to navigate their recovery. Most of all, their stories will tell you in no uncertain terms that recovery is possible. If they did it, so can you.
Consider Your Future After Recovery
Draw a picture in your mind of what your life could look like after recovery. You may want to work toward goals that you had before your addiction took over, such as a career or moving to a new place. Also picture the things in your life that can be better in recovery, such as your relationships and your ability to be there for the people in your life. Consider how much better you’ll feel physically. Consider what it would feel like to be happy and at peace with yourself.
Embrace a Higher Power
For some people, believing in a higher power can lead to believing in the possibility of recovery. Your higher power can be anything you want it to be—a god, nature, the power of the universe, science—it’s your personal choice. The point is that some people find it comforting or empowering to believe that a higher power is by their side and helping them to find their way.
Talk to Yourself
You have to be your biggest advocate and talk to yourself about your own worth and ability. Saying simple phrases like “I’ve got this” or “I am strong, and I can do this” can build feelings of self-esteem and confidence, and thus a belief in your ability to recover. You can also write down these positive affirmations and keep them where you can look at them daily.
Create a Plan
For some people, having a concrete plan in place can make the possibility of recovery seem real. Take some time to write down the steps of your recovery in as much detail as possible. These can be concrete dates for entering treatment, and the phases of your treatment such as inpatient treatment, a partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient treatment, sober living, and attending support groups.
Your plan can also include things that you are going to do personally, such as methods to stay motivated or to learn more about yourself.
Once you have your plan in front of you, it’s less overwhelming to think of recovery because you understand that you’ll take it one step at a time.
Belief in Yourself
Many people suffering from substance abuse disorders have very low self-esteem, whether it started before the addiction or because of the addiction. Before you can believe in recovery, you have to believe in yourself and your own value as a person.
Consider your strengths and abilities, and the good things that you’ve done in your life. Those good things don’t have to be huge but can be small things like doing a good deed or giving someone an encouraging smile. As you think about it, you’ll probably realize that you’ve done more good things than you thought. You have value.
What’s the Other Half of the Battle?
If belief in your recovery is half the battle, what’s the other half? Ten essential factors are generally believed to be key to recovery. Understanding these factors can help you to build or grow your belief in your ability to recover.
1. Self-Direction
You are in control of your own recovery path, and you choose what it will look like. This does not mean ignoring input from others, but taking that input and choosing to include it in your recovery plan or not.
2. Individualized and Person-Centered
Everyone is different and needs a treatment plan that fits their experiences, strengths, and underlying mental health issues. When in recovery, you’ll be given the opportunity to share about yourself and be involved in creating your customized plan.
3. Empowerment
You should feel empowered in recovery, and in your life, and able to make your own decisions and choose your own direction.
4. Holistic
Recovery focuses on the whole person and their life, including mind, body, spirit, and community, as well as aspects such as housing, employment, education, mental health, and healthcare treatment.
5. Non-Linear
Recovery is a process of continual growth, setbacks, and learning from experience. This means that there are not necessarily steps to take in order, but that instead occur organically.
6. Strengths-Based
The recovery process should build on your abilities, resilience, coping skills, and your inherent value as a person.
7. Peer Support
Mutual support and sharing of experiences, emotions, fears, and hopes is a critical part of recovery. This occurs in group therapy, in support groups like Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous, or in one-on-one peer interactions.
8. Respect
Respect from others, including peers, family, and community, is essential to regaining your self-worth during recovery.
9. Responsibility
You must take responsibility for your own recovery and your path to get there. It’s up to you.
10. Hope
This circles back to the theme of this article. With hope comes belief, and with belief comes hope. You can recover, take your life back, and be the person you want to be if you believe that you can. Your future lies in your hands and in the hope and belief that you are capable of beating your addiction.