Overcoming Guilt In Addiction Recovery

Feeling guilt is a natural part of the recovery process. Facing your actions from when you were in your active addiction can be difficult. As you go through treatment and therapy, you'll have to confront traumas, guilt, and regretful decisions.

The problem with feelings of guilt is that they are inactive. You cannot turn the clock back and undo what's been done. All you can do is move forward. When you let guilt take control, it leads you back down a dangerous path. 

Guilt can grab hold of you and lower your self-esteem, reduce your confidence, and even lead to relapse. Overcoming those feelings of guilt is imperative for your long-term health and recovery.

Guilt is unfortunately part of recovery. Moving past it is necessary for drug and alcohol addiction recovery to succeed.

Is Guilt a Part of Recovery?

Sadly, guilt is a normal part of recovery and addiction. Acknowledging past mistakes and owning up to them can be healing yet painful. It is challenging to admit your wrongdoings and face them all at once. You might be ashamed of your behavior.

Accepting that you really did such things can be brutal and living with those choices can feel hopeless at times. You may not think you deserve forgiveness. 

When that is the case, guilt and addiction become a cycle. You feel guilt for what you did while in your active addiction, then when you face that in recovery, you may struggle and relapse. This can become a dangerous pattern if not adequately dealt with.

You may also wonder how you can come back from that or make up for those things you did.

These are all normal emotions when going through recovery. It is part of the process you need to experience to move forward. Facing those truths and learning from them is what enhances your confidence. 

An article in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services claims that by learning to place shame in perspective and to use guilt as a catalyst for improvement, recovering addicts can begin to heal. 

Instead of focusing on the past and ruminating on mistakes, it is essential to accept them as facts and branch off into a positive headspace in the future.

How to Forgive Yourself

Overcoming guilt isn't simply about releasing those negative feelings and not looking back. You aren't going to forget your past. Instead, you need to forgive yourself for past mistakes and focus on growing in recovery as you go through addiction treatment.

Recovery is not about punishment for your past but learning and improving in the future. Feelings of guilt during recovery should motivate you rather than hold you back. Understanding that those negative emotions follow addictive behavior leads you to crave change and progress.

However, this is more challenging than it sounds. Discovering what you're capable of and building up your confidence is not an instant change. 

Throughout recovery, you will have ups and downs. Ensuring you have a solid support system of friends, family, and counselors can help you get there. Facing your guilt with the people in your life helps you realize you are worthy. 

No matter how long it takes, following your progress reminds you of your abilities and strength every step of the way.

However, for those struggling with overcoming guilt through recovery, try to focus on these main aspects:

#1. Reflect on negative emotions.

Negative emotions will always be a part of recovery. Doubt always creeps in but take stock of those feelings. Ask yourself how they are helping you. Is feeling guilty pushing you forward? Is your guilt offering you anything?

These feelings are only damaging your self-view. They are not constructive to your progress in recovery.

#2. Forgive yourself.

This may be one of the more complex parts of overcoming guilt, but it is vital to your recovery. You can feel bad for hurting someone or doing something wrong, but forgiving yourself is the only way to move forward. If you hold your mistakes against your future, that will block you from making meaningful changes.

#3. Accept the past.

The past happened. By forgiving yourself, you are not forgetting it or ignoring it. You are taking inventory. Accepting your mistakes and past choices, taking accountability, apologizing, and forgiving yourself is how you get a positive result. 

Knowing and remembering your past mistakes shouldn't be reminders of guilt but refreshers on why you are working so hard to be better.

#4. Find value in yourself.

A big part of overcoming guilt in recovery is refocusing your energy. Do things that make you feel good about yourself. Spend time with supportive people. Volunteer to help others. Do something that adds positivity to the world. Remind yourself every day that you are worthy of recovery and a substance-free life.

Show yourself compassion as you would show to others and let those emotions guide you through recovery.

Guilt Is Stubborn … And Can Halt Your Recovery

Feeling guilty about your past when working toward a more positive future strangles your ability to move forward. Accepting mistakes, facing them, forgiving yourself, and using those mistakes to motivate you increases your odds of a long recovery.

Guilt will always play a role in addiction recovery, but it doesn't have to lead. Recognizing those feelings and releasing them as unconstructive leads you to more positive emotions like forgiveness, excitement, and joy.

Before you get to that point, recovery has to start with detox. If harmful substances aren’t released from the body, recovery can’t start. DetoxNearMe.com will help you find a detox center near you which fits your budget and needs. Start searching with DetoxNearMe.com today!