Finding Closure in Recovery

How a Healthy Mind Can Benefit Your Professional Life
February 20, 2021
Addiction Beyond Drugs and Alcohol
March 2, 2021

The road to recovery can involve countless twists and turns, requiring you to focus all your efforts on making it through each day. Once you’ve reached the point of recognizing your growth, and you’ve internalized the discipline that comes with taking control of your life, it may be time to seek some closure. 

During recovery, you may have formed resentment towards other people or towards yourself. There may be some pains you haven’t let go of, even though you are now in a better place. Part of becoming healthier entails relearning to love yourself. This can mean forgiving yourself and being honest with yourself as you move on. 

The Benefits of Moving On

One of the most critical parts of moving on with your life is changing the people you spend time with, the places you go, and the things you do for fun. You may have to tell the people you hang out with that you will no longer go to the parties, clubs, or bars that you used to. Throughout this period, you will learn who truly cares for you. The people who care about you will accept and welcome this new version of you by respecting your wishes. This part of closure will illustrate to you how much you have changed. This can act as an inspiration that will help you to be even stronger than you were when you started as you continue on your journey of recovery.

Every step you take to move on can give you the chance to learn more about yourself. No longer spending time deep in the nightlife can pave the way for new hobbies and a more diverse set of pursuits. You’ll have more time to spend with your close friends and family and connect on a more authentic level. You may come to understand that you didn’t even like the things you used to do, and your sober life will seem refreshing by comparison.

Learning to Forgive Yourself 

While you may have learned the importance of forgiving others throughout your life, a key component of recovery is learning to forgive yourself. This allows you to move on in health without resentment towards yourself. Poor judgment and skewed values can lead a person to lie, manipulate, steal from others, and harm the people they care about most. Addiction can cause the substance to become your highest priority. No matter what you’ve done, you deserve to give yourself another chance, especially if you’ve made progress in your self-improvement.

It can be easier to forgive yourself once you realize that you are no longer the person you used to be. After detox, therapy, relapse, and all the other ups and downs of recovery, you deserve to forgive yourself. Hold yourself completely accountable for the mistakes you’ve made. This doesn’t mean being overly critical; just allow yourself to understand how you got to that point without making excuses. 

Like your recovery, forgiveness won’t happen overnight. Try not to let the way you treat yourself be affected by others who may not have the ability to forgive you just yet. Ultimately, forgiving yourself allows you to move on, and it won’t matter what other people think about who you used to be.

The Power of Sharing Your Story

Sharing your story with others can make your recovery more real to you. No story becomes a story until it’s told, after all. When you feel that you are in a place where you have truly begun to forgive yourself, sharing your story with others can act as the next step in your progression of self-acceptance and healing. Many people who struggle with addiction feel completely alone. Having someone who has been through similar experiences and can relate to their challenges can provide unparalleled inspiration. 

Sharing your story can be a mutually beneficial process. You get to inspire others who stand where you once stood while also getting the cathartic release of opening up about your past. Giving yourself the chance to tell your story will help you better understand your experience. You will be able to process certain occurrences that will provide you with closure. Through the process of telling your story, you can improve your mental health by creating supportive bonds with appreciative people. Recovery can be a lifelong battle, so by continuing to meet people who engage with you on this personal level of experience, you’ll be able to reaffirm the positive values and lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Although it isn’t always easy to attain closure for your past experiences, it can be extremely rewarding for those who put in the effort to seek it. If you learn how to move forward, you’ll put yourself into the position to help others in their struggles with addiction. Use the process of finding closure to learn how to forgive yourself and improve your self-acceptance. These are all parts of the lifelong journey of recovery, and you don’t have to go it alone. Kimberly Center in Fort Myers, Florida provides both inpatient and outpatient services for those who are struggling with substance abuse, addiction, and mental illness. We offer personalized care to address each of your individual needs and stay with you every step of the way, from intake and detox to continuing care and building a lifetime support network. Learn to develop forgiveness towards your past so you can open up your possibilities of a healthy, positive future. Reach out to us at (855)-452-3683 to learn more.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *