Feeling Stuck in Recovery?
The first few weeks of abstinence from drugs or alcohol are often accompanied by a surge of motivation. You are sleeping better, you have more energy, you are starting to feel ‘normal’ and friends and family are complimenting you on how much healthier you look and how well you are doing. But as the weeks go by, you might start to feel restless, agitated or simply bored with your sobriety. People have stopped commenting on your efforts at abstinence, the initial excitement is beginning to wear off and the first thoughts of returning to active addiction are starting to rear their ugly head.
Coming off the “pink cloud” as it is known, has derailed many a person in the early days of sobriety. As the pink cloud slowly drifts away, you can become plagued by thoughts such as “Is this all there is”? “Life was much better when I was using / drinking.” “I can’t do this” “ I’d rather die from my addiction than live like this” “ I could end up being run over by a bus – so what’s the point” “Why can everyone else drink but I can’t” “ Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was” “ I’ll just drink / use at weekends and not during the week” These thoughts just generate more discontent, confusion, misery and in the end a feeling of paralysis – you can’t seem to move forward in your recovery and part of you – the healthy part that wants to live – doesn’t want to go back. You feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
So what can you do to move forward?
