life after addiction

Life After Addiction: Write Your Next Chapter

Many patients have come to me asking: what’s it like to rebuild a life after addiction? And I answer: Everything you’ve been working on – and continue to work on to navigate out of the current of addiction – is a practice. 

This never ends, nor should it. So if, for a second, you think you’ll be done with your emotions, cravings, or efforts to get healthy, think again. And that goes for everything worth striving for in life.

Everything that’s healthy is a practice. We’re never done being a good spouse or family member. We’re never done being kind. And so we’re also never totally done with cravings or poor choices. They’re meant to be managed and worked on.

We all practice these things forever. It’s really simple: the more time and energy we spend on something, the more automatic that area becomes. And the less time and energy we give to something, the weaker we become in that area.

It’s true for learning a language, true for playing a sport, true for building muscle – and true for sobriety and health too. Our bodies and minds are always getting stronger in the areas we work on, and weaker in the areas we don’t. Start to imagine your whole effort to get life on track as a practice, and you’ll feel far less pressure to be “done” with everything.

Your Addiction Tells a Story, Change the Story You Share With the World.

When we go through addiction, we’re trying to numb or control our painful state. We control our emotional state to be more pleasant. At the same time this happens, we’re causing harm and destruction for ourselves and the people around us, and being let down when the high runs out.

To give up addiction is a strong test of how willing you are to give up your current story of what you feel life is like. 

Are you ready to live a different story? A story that says to other people something like:

“I can handle or tolerate myself even when things get rough… sometimes people let me down, but I know there are people out there who can be more accepting of me.”

Giving up the old addiction story and living in a healthy way might not draw as much attention or get you any pity. And what we do with our actions doesn’t just tell a story to the rest of the world, it also tells a story to ourselves. 

When we go through endless cycles of instant gratification with soothing, followed by harm, we slowly convince ourselves that we can’t get by without it – that we badly need it, that we can’t tolerate suffering any longer, and that it’s worth the consequences.

Every reenactment of this alters our perception of ourselves, how we remember or perceive who we are, and how we expect to behave over time.

Finding a Healthier Life

The act of finding a healthier life without relying on something from the outside is a powerful message to yourself. It says you’re ready not just to tell a different story, but to believe in a different story for yourself. This creates a new chapter in the story.

It tells the world that while we once did want so badly to soothe quickly and easily, we’ve come to learn that suffering is a part of life.

It says we accept that our life has been as it has been. And that we’re now ready to live a life that says we can rise from desperation and pain to a new place of patience, tolerance, and forgiveness.

To live a life that says not only can you do those things now, but that you’re finally worth it!

Are you ready to change the story you tell through your behaviors? Are you ready to let go of the story you’ve been telling?

Navigating Through Life After Addiction

Now’s the time to start trusting yourself. Friends, family, and the internet probably throw a ton of advice at you, all claiming to know exactly what you need to do.

But even I would never suggest I know your one best way forward. Only you can discover your fitting pathways – which ones you want to learn more about, and which ones you’re ready for.

Everyone, including me, only has suggestions. You’re the one who ultimately decides your path, what tools to use, and when to use them.

Some Helpful Resources for Rebuilding your Life After Addiction

There are two common themes that help support continued growth.

The first is to find a way to keep learning. That could be through books, or informal groups for example. Since you’re never done learning, you want to find something – or someone, or someplace – that you can keep going back to in order to learn.

The second common theme for continued growth is to have a partner or guide. This helps give us motivation and accountability to follow through on what we’re working on. 

It also gives us individual attention and feedback on how we’re doing. That’s not to say you can’t do it on your own. But it’ll usually be slower, harder, lonelier, and less meaningful that way.

I suggest finding this support in whatever form fits you best. That may be a mentor, a family friend, or someone who’s in a similar stage of life right now. It can also be a professional, like a therapist or psychiatrist.

As you develop healthier habits, the best way to stay healthy is to connect with the world and the people in your life as the healthy version of you

The more close connections you have as your new self, the more it will reinforce what you’re doing and keep you on track.

The more parts of life you link to your health, the stronger your safety net becomes when something goes wrong. And things will go wrong.

How Self Recovery Supports You Daily

One of the great benefits of the Self Recovery program is access to the most proven, curated teachings and strategies for addiction. You can revisit lessons, techniques, or inspirational talks anytime you feel overwhelmed or unsure.

This helps you strengthen positive habits at your own pace. It also lets you refresh your coping skills and build emotional resilience. On tough days or during quiet reflection, these recordings are a steady source of support. They keep you connected to your progress, and to the reasons you chose recovery in the first place. Discover more!

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