Recovery: How Sharing Your Story Can Help Others
Being in recovery is a difficult situation. It can be even more difficult if you go through it alone. Hearing other’s stories and being a part of a support group is one incredible way that you can make your recovery just a little bit easier.
Being in these support groups aren’t only for you to receive – one of the best parts of being in a support group like these ones is that you get to share your story along with others as well. It might be hard to recall some of the stuff you have been through – but the power of being open and sharing inside a community that not only accepts you but sees you for who you are and loves you anyway, that is a special feeling.
The Power of a Story
Everyone has a story to share. Some filled with grief, some with conquest and triumph. Whether your story is there to help warn people about the dangers of what you have faced or if it’s there to give those who have no hope a light at the end of the tunnel – your story matters, and it’s important that you share it.
Everyone can benefit from your story, your trials, whatever happened in your life. In an environment like a support group, this is even more true. The people listening will not only hopefully understand something more about themselves, how they should and can act in the world, but they can also be great sources of support for you in your journey. You don’t need to be perfect to share your story. Your story doesn’t need to be complete in order for you to share it. What you have to say is valuable at every point in the process.
Anyone can overcome their addiction, nobody is too far gone to be saved. Whether you believe that or not, your story might be a window for some people to see that. On top of that, getting a fresh pair of eyes on your life might give you the perspective to see how far you’ve truly come and the person that you’re becoming. Without this activity, it might be harder to see exactly what is going on in your life, what progress you’ve made.
Take back control of your life and start on the road to recovery now.
Addiction and Your Story
There’s something simultaneously empowering and terrifying about admitting your addiction. Giving yourself the platform just to do that is an exercise you need to look into. Freeing yourself from your addiction by taking the first steps and saying it outloud can (to no surprise) be one of the most freeing feelings you can experience. On the other hand, truly admitting that you have a problem in front of others is a monumental task that takes so much courage and self awareness.
Addicts understand addicts. It’s not easy to relate to someone about addiction to someone who has never had a substance addiction. Being in a support group and sharing your story with these people will give you a new found support that you may have previously thought never existed.
Understanding this can help undermine one of the most prevailing problems that reside within addicts – that they feel like they aren’t worth branching out and finding help for. The opposite is actually true – each person is worth it and finding that community, while still could be difficult, is not as impossible as it might seem.
Seeking Help
Few people have ever beaten a substance abuse problem alone. You are not superman, nor should you try to be. You are human, and as such a creature that requires community to be fully functioning. Let yourself be in community with others, let people in and let them help.
Finding a group of people that can care for you, tell you that your addiction really isn’t your fault, alleviate any undue guilt that you may have, and then take concrete steps to living a sober life is what you need, and can have.
This can be a difficult journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Let us be your guide and provide you the environment needed to regain control of your life and begin the path to recovery.
What Can You Do?
Addiction is a disease. It impairs your ability to think clearly, to prioritize correctly, to do anything that a human with a brain that functions normally would have ease doing. You aren’t beyond saving, but you don’t need to do it alone.
Sometimes, rehab is the only option. For a multitude of reasons, rehab is a great place for you to get clean off of substances for good, exit the detox process safely and completely, then move on to something that you can stay more permanently for.
The problem often lies after rehab – where do you go if everywhere you know reminds you of your addicted life? There are more options, such as sober houses. Sober houses are places that you can apply for and get accepted into that follow a specific set of rules regarding all substances.
Sober houses are places that you can go and be completely free of those substances invading your everyday normal life. When living in a sober house, you can rebuild your life in a way that you never thought was possible before – you can finally see the kind of person that you are completely free from your substances.
If you or a friend struggles with addiction and wants to get help, contact us at ecosoberhouse.com right away. Remember that supporting each other and giving each other the space to share stories is one of the best ways that we can all recover together.
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