If you are a person in recovery from a substance use disorder, you likely feel quite grateful that you have been able to set aside drugs or alcohol and work toward rebuilding your life. Keeping hold of that feeling of gratefulness is a great way to support your ongoing recovery because you are always aware of how much better your life is now than it was when you were using drugs or alcohol.
Still, the recovery journey can be filled with a variety of challenges—not to mention all the challenges that are just a regular part of life. Nearly all of us experience high levels of stress, setbacks of various kinds, disappointments, and more. In the midst of all of that, it can be easy to let the bright flame of gratitude you might have felt in the early days of your recovery start to flicker and sputter a bit as time goes on.
In this post, we want to propose three ways you can maintain an attitude of gratitude even when you are facing challenges—and even when you are not.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
You have probably heard—or even used—the expression “count your blessings.” It is a gentle reminder that even when times are tough, we all have things to be grateful for. Counting those things up can be a powerful way to remind yourself of all the good in your life.
We like to suggest that you turn counting your blessings from a nice idea into a concrete activity you can do daily. A gratitude journal (which is one of many kinds of journals you might keep) is a great—and easy—way to do that.
Each day, write down three things you are grateful for. They can be big things or little things, and it is perfectly okay for things to appear on your list frequently. The point is simply to remind yourself that you have specific and ongoing reasons to be thankful. Keeping that in mind supports your recovery.
We should note that the suggestion to write down three things each day is not a hard and fast rule. Daily practice is a good idea, but it is okay if you only write down one thing or if you make a lengthy list. What you write in your gratitude journal will undoubtedly reflect what kind of day you have experienced—and that is wholly appropriate. The key here is to remember there is always something to be grateful for and to make note of what those things are on a regular basis.
Give Back Through Acts of Service
It is a wonderful fact that doing something kind for someone else has benefits for you, too. Acts of service are a fantastic way to pay your sense of gratitude forward. That is to say, you are probably grateful to the various people who have helped you through difficult times—including those who stood by you while you were struggling with drugs or alcohol.
You can honor those people and their kindness by looking for opportunities to be of service to others. Doing so supports your recovery while providing something truly meaningful to someone else.
You might know of situations where you can lend a hand. If not, however, there are plenty of organizations that are always eagerly seeking volunteers. Find a cause that is important to you and get involved.
Cherish Your Friends and Family
As we have noted, you probably feel gratitude toward people who stuck with you during difficult moments in your life. Another way to lean into your gratitude is to make sure to spend time with your closest friends and family.
After all, friendship can—and should—be about more than weathering crises together. Spending time together when times are calm is equally important if your relationships are going to deepen and mature over time.
Working on your close relationships may not necessarily feel like an act of gratitude, but cherishing those closest to you is a way to thank them for the important roles they play in your life. And those close relationships provide essential support to your recovery while also improving your overall quality of life.
We Would Be Grateful for the Chance to Help You
Let’s face it: Nobody feels any gratitude at all about a substance use disorder. Drugs and alcohol chip away at your mental and physical health, your relationships and finances, and much more. When you first started taking drugs or drinking, you may have thought the substances provided relief from stress or engendered positive feelings. But soon enough, that idea falls apart—and your life starts to fall apart with it. Again, that is not anything anyone is likely to be grateful for.
There is good news, however. Wooded Glen Recovery Center provides personalized, evidence-based, effective treatment for substance use disorders as well as co-occurring mental health disorders. Located in Henryville, Indiana, Wooded Glen is staffed by a team that understands that each individual is unique and that everyone is worthy of our best efforts to help them turn their lives around. Whether you choose an inpatient or outpatient approach to treatment, we can help you—and we would be grateful for the opportunity to do so.