The recovery process is not just about leaving habits of substance abuse behind, but also trying to find healing and a hard-earned peace after the ravages of addiction. To find that peace, however, the recovering addict must not only work past the physical aspects of former addiction, but also the lingering mental and spiritual effects of past addictive behaviors. Emotional damage can present itself in resentment and regret, which are natural emotions, but can be counter-productive in earning progress toward a lasting recovery.
Only by letting go of resentment and regret can the recovering addict find true peace.
Addiction is a trying experience, which can push an addict in the throes of substance abuse to commit acts they will later regret and strain relationships they valued highly when not compromised by addictive cravings. To feed their addiction, addicts will lie, cheat, steal, betray friends and loved ones and do other things they would not consider when sober and will later look back on with regret and sorrow in recovery.
Following addiction treatment, the recovering addict will struggle to reconcile their past actions with the return to sobriety and normalcy they wish to achieve. They will be filled with regret for any wrongs they did due to their addiction, and may struggle with feelings of resentment, particularly with themselves, over past misdeeds and decisions.
But while these may be natural feelings in such circumstances, they are not healthy reactions for long-term healing. Lasting recovery needs a more sanguine outlook, one that allows you to look forward to achieving personal goals, not self-recriminations and negative feelings from dwelling on the past.
So how does a recovering addict learn to let go of resentment and regret? What can the former addict do to move past the mistakes they once made and focus on recovery and healing?
Addiction treatment and therapy will help provide the recovering addict with the emotional support and aid they need to work through such emotional struggles. It can be a long, arduous process, but it is a vital one to making sure you have the emotional stability to maintain your recovery and avoid relapse.
At Good Landing Recovery, finding ways to cope with negative feelings and let go of resentment and regret is an important part of therapy and addiction treatment. Their doctors and therapists know the importance of reaching a healthy emotional state to better maintain recovery and sobriety and can help teach recovering addicts techniques and methods to work through negative emotions and achieve a better mental state.
Negative emotions may seem like just a bad mood or sad feelings, but long-term focus on resentment and regret can be a leading cause of relapse for patients who don’t get the proper therapeutic treatment to work past such problems.