Learning About Forgiveness When Addiction is Involved
Addiction recovery is a complex process that takes time and effort. Mental health professionals use several evidence-based treatment modalities during the recovery process from substance abuse. But one aspect of recovery that is often overlooked is forgiveness.
Most people in recovery experience a gamut of emotions, such as guilt, shame, embarrassment, anger, resentment, and bitterness. In addition, setbacks are common during the recovery process, which can lead to additional emotions, such as hopelessness, loneliness, and frustration.
These emotions can turn into a vicious cycle of self-blame and negative feelings that can derail the addiction treatment program. Letting go of negative emotions and forgiving yourself and others is therefore crucial for a successful recovery.
What Does Forgiveness Mean in Addiction Recovery?
Forgiveness in addiction recovery means self-forgiveness, forgiving others, and seeking forgiveness from others for wrongdoings.
Self-Forgiveness
Self-forgiveness is an act of self-love, self-compassion, and self-acceptance. It is vital to forgive yourself if you want to beat addiction. The following are some of the key actions that are at the core of self-forgiveness:
- Accept responsibility for your actions in the past.
- Show compassion to yourself because everyone makes mistakes.
- Express remorse for your wrongdoings.
- Resolve to make better choices in the future.
- Repair the damage and fix the mistakes that you can.
- Restore trust and make amends with loved ones.
- Focus on learning from your mistakes and growing as a person.
- Use positive affirmations such as “I am strong enough to overcome addiction” or “I forgive myself for past mistakes.”
Forgiving Others
It can be confusing to sort out your feelings towards others and the role they played in your substance abuse. Working with mental health professionals during addiction recovery often involves delving into the past. This can bring forth memories of trauma or abuse that may have triggered substance use.
The recovery process can therefore give rise to negative emotions such as anger, resentment, and bitterness. These negative feelings can cause setbacks in the recovery process. To move forward in addiction recovery, you must forgive others for the pains they have caused you. Letting go of resentment and anger towards others helps to break the vicious cycle of emotions.
Seeking Forgiveness from Others
When you are in the grips of a substance use disorder, you say and do many things that are hurtful to loved ones. Making amends for your words and actions is a key part of successful recovery. Seeking forgiveness shows your loved ones that you are accepting responsibility and are willing to set things right.
When seeking forgiveness, listen carefully to what your loved ones want to say without interrupting them. Avoid being defensive, explaining your actions, or making excuses for your behaviors. Recognize that others have a right to not offer immediate forgiveness. Remember, by making an effort to seek forgiveness, you will know that you did everything you could. This will give you peace of mind if nothing more.
Why Forgiveness Is So Important in Addiction Recovery
Letting Go of the Past
Forgiveness is important in addiction recovery because it helps you let go of the past and negative emotions like bitterness, anger, and resentment. These negative feelings tie you to the past and prevent you from moving towards a healthier, substance-free life. By practicing self-forgiveness and forgiving others, you can start to focus on the present and the future.
Improved Physical Health
Forgiveness reduces stress by helping you let go of negative feelings towards yourself and others. These strong emotions are linked to physical health effects such as high blood pressure, which in turn can increase your risk of heart disease. By practicing forgiveness, you improve your physical health, which can support your recovery from addiction.
Better Mental Health
When you make the choice to forgive someone, it can take a huge burden off your mind. It can reduce mental stress and feelings of anxiety and depression. A lighter mind that is not weighed down by past experiences is more receptive to therapy. As a result, you can get the maximum benefit from your treatment plan with greater chances of success.
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Forgiveness helps to rebuild broken relationships. Forgiving someone does not mean you condone their actions or forget what happened. It means you accept your own mistakes and the mistakes others made and are choosing to move on in life.
The Forgiveness Process
Start by Forgiving Yourself
When you are struggling with addiction, it’s easy to blame yourself for everything that has gone wrong leading to substance abuse. But focusing on past mistakes can prevent you from moving forward in the recovery process.
The first step in the forgiveness process is therefore to confront your inner critic and stop blaming yourself. Remember, addiction is a disease. It is not a sign of mental weakness. Just like it wouldn’t be your fault if you got cancer, it is not your fault that you developed a substance use disorder.
Next: Forgiving Others
Once you have forgiven yourself, you can move on to forgiving others for any actual or perceived wrongdoings. Identify the negative emotions that you feel towards others and that need healing. This can include resentment, anger, bitterness, or grudges, which hinder the recovery process.
Start by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were in their position. Be compassionate towards the other person, whilst also acknowledging your own emotions about the harm caused to you. Work to release the emotions that are holding you back from a healthier future.
Lastly, Seek Forgiveness from Others
The last step in the forgiveness process during addiction recovery is seeking forgiveness from others. First, examine your conscience and think about how you have harmed others. Next, acknowledge to other people that you wronged them. Express regret for your actions by apologizing to loved ones. Attempt to set things right if you can.
Avoid being defensive or offering explanations for your behavior. Admit you were wrong and accept your role in the sequence of events that unfolded. Be willing to make corrections to restore the relationship.
Forgive Yourself, Others, Then Find Treatment
Forgiving yourself and others for past mistakes or wrongdoings can have a huge positive impact on the addiction recovery process. Self-forgiveness and forgiving others lower your risk of relapse and improve your chances of successfully beating addiction. Even small efforts towards forgiveness in recovery can have a big impact on your response to treatment.
If you haven’t yet practiced self-forgiveness or forgiving others, it’s never too late to start. Many people struggle with conflicting emotions during the forgiveness process. They can’t identify what they need to forgive themselves and others for. In such a situation, talking to a mental health professional can be very helpful. It may also help to share your experiences with a support group. Learning about the experiences of others can give you greater insight into your own emotions.
At Discover Recovery Treatment Center, we have a team of professionals who have extensive experience in addiction treatment protocols. Our holistic programs are designed to help you heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Call us today and see how we can help you forgive and move forward towards a life free of drug and alcohol abuse.
