Rehab Lessons Learned the Hard Way

I’ve learned a thing or two about recovery over the years.

I’ve learned through my own personal struggles and the in the line of work I chose – addiction and rehabilitation.

I’ve seen some of closest friends plummet to the point of no longer caring how much harm they were doing to their bodies and watched young, intelligent and beautiful people destroy their bodies, minds and souls with drugs. That’s the thing about addiction – it stops you in your tracks and can cripple you for years or for a lifetime.

It happens in a variety of ways, but when you make the decision to fight for yourself and for your sobriety, it’s a decision you’re committing 20,000 hours to. And it’s not easy. But you can do it.

Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way:

Every single morning we wake up and we make the decision to love ourselves or hate ourselves. Being happy or miserable is 100% self accountability. If you start your day thinking “I’m a loser” then instantly you’re in a bad mood and your decisions are being made out of insecurity and self-loathing. The moment we make the decision that we are unworthy or not enough, we’re hammering a nail into the coffin of our success in love, life and happiness. If you start your day by looking in the mirror and saying “I’m capable” you decisions will come from a positive place – one of love and kindness and that energy is contagious. And we get a fresh start every single day – what does your world look like today?

Recognize when something becomes a problem. It’s one thing to be at the point where you’re ok hanging out with people who are having a beer. It’s another where you are thrown into a state of self-hatred and loathing and obsess about having a drink. There’s a thin line – go talk to someone.

No one is judging you. No seriously – no one is sitting and obsessing about your process, they are too busy living their own lives and working on their own issues. And if they are, who cares – they don’t matter unless you let them.

Complaining doesn’t work. We could go on and on about how we got here, what don’t like, why its not working, why it won’t work for us or who we know that it didn’t work for – the old bitch fest. Except – your brain releases stress hormones that actually harm neural connections in areas used for problem solving and other cognitive functions. Completely counterproductive.

Change is not instant. It happens slowly. It’s a process. If you want to be sober, it’s accepting and making a promise to yourself every single day, not just one.