5 Simple Steps to Forgiveness After Addiction

When you successfully make it through your treatment program, you likely will feel on top of the world for your success. And you should! As you reenter your day to day life, however, you may find that negative emotions creep back in. Dealing with forgiveness after addiction is an everyday process. In order to be successfully sober long-term, you need to learn how to deal with these emotions as they come. Every emotion is useful as long as it works towards improving your sobriety. So, how do you channel negative emotions into forgiveness after addiction? Take these steps to help you forgive and grow during recovery.

“Now is the time to take a hard look at yourself, your life, and your choices.

1. Acceptance

The toughest lesson to learn is that there isn’t anything you can do to fix the past. A large part of learning to forgive yourself is learning to live with the consequences of your actions and grow from them. You have worked so hard to make it this far. Don’t forget you aren’t the same person you were before. You are better. You have earned this forgiveness.

2. Identify

A large part of successful sobriety is the ability to recognize what brought you so low, and how to avoid it again. Negative emotions are natural, and they will happen throughout your sobriety. Think about the causes and influences of your past bad decisions, and evaluate the driving force behind the choices you made. Life is full of chances to fall, but knowing what to watch out for will help keep your sobriety on track.

3. Examine

Now is the time to take a hard look at yourself, your life, and your choices. Forgiveness after addiction begins with you recognizing why you are feeling this way. Above all else, don’t expect yourself to be perfect. You’re human, no more and no less. Don’t look for perfection from yourself or the world. Bad days will happen, and bad things can get in your way. The most important thing is to always continue to examine these things and grow from what you learn about yourself.

4. Share

You are going through one of the toughest times of your life. Don’t feel the need to lock all your emotions away. It is crucial for you to take advantage of support systems in the recovery phase. Similar people with similar problems can help you put your situation into perspective without judgment.

5. Forgive

Before you seek forgiveness after addiction from anyone else, you must forgive yourself. Every negative emotion you’re feeling stems from this issue. Do you obsess over past misdeeds? This negative focus will ultimately hinder successful sobriety. Next time your negative emotions creep in, remember you are in control of what they can do for you.

Accepting that you are human and working towards the best version of yourself, not perfection, takes some work. Understand that you are on an ongoing journey and you can’t expect overnight results. Do you need more information about forgiveness after addiction? Call Bright Futures Treatment Center 1-844-207-7772