How Practicing Gratitude Helps Recovery

While drinking has been a part of the majority of my life, so have anxiety and depression. I went from sneaking alcohol on the weekends to week-long binge drinking benders. It was a cycle that progressively got worse, and the more I drank, the worse I felt. I would have pity parties and drown in my sorrows and regrets without realizing how damaging this cycle had become. Eventually, the crippling anxiety and symptoms of depression felt so unbearable that I was desperate to try something new. When I decided to start working on healing myself through journaling, therapy, meditation, reading self-help books, etc., I began feeling so grateful for my path and my life. I want to share this to help others in addiction recovery shift their perspective from self-hatred and sadness to gratitude and abundance. 

Being Grateful for Your Recovery Journey Helps

This may sound cheesy, but I am so grateful for where I am in my journey. The amount of self-awareness I hold today is almost unbelievable compared to where I was just a few short years ago. I have a sense of understanding for my own struggles, most specifically with alcohol abuse, which allows me to relate and connect with others on such a deeper level. I am grateful for my struggles and mistakes because they led me to where I am today and right now, I am stronger than ever. 

I know that having gratitude for your struggles and addiction recovery journey may not always be easy. Some days you might feel angry, helpless, hopeless, sad, etc., and believe me, I can relate. But I also know I am a natural born helper and healer and if I can use my experience to help someone feel seen, heard, and understood then that is a reason to be grateful. 

Shift from Sadness to Gratitude in Your Recovery

Once you change your perspective of your recovery journey, you will see that there is so much to be grateful for. Think of all the people in your life, the connections you have made, and the understanding and compassion you have for others in recovery. We need people like us to help others who have not quite found their light. 

Above all, find gratitude for yourself and how far you have come. We often blame ourselves and get angry over our addiction or behavior choices, but if you believe that it all has a purpose, then there is a reason to be grateful. Learn from your mistakes, take action to heal, and find gratitude for every step of your journey.