When we are working to get sober, there will be all kinds of things trying to work against us and derail our progress. Things will challenge us and threaten to knock us off track. They will come in the form of other people’s involvement, our own resistance, and our limiting beliefs. To be successful in our recovery, we’ll need to stand by our sobriety and commit to it fully. We’ll need to defend it at all costs, against outside interference but most importantly against our own internal attacks. Standing by our sobriety means being grounded within ourselves and focused on our goals. It means weathering the storm of any outer or inner challenges to our recovery, and staying rooted in our transformation and our elevation. We’re striving to be the happiest, healthiest versions of ourselves. We want to be our truest, most authentic selves. If we allow ourselves to be swayed in our quest, we ultimately are letting ourselves down and betraying our own higher vision for ourselves.
Any time we’re working towards something that is important to us, we will inevitably experience spiritual tests that will challenge us, push us and force us to get to know ourselves on a deeper level. We’ll learn more about our strengths, weaknesses, limitations and gifts. Our recovery work is some of the most difficult work we’ll do in our lives, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. We’ll feel as though we’re being pushed to the absolute brink of what we can handle. Along the way we’ll surprise ourselves with our strength, resilience and courage. We’ll be tested, time and time again, to stand by our sobriety. We’ll need to confirm, and keep confirming, our commitment to staying clean.
One of our biggest tests will come in the form of people we love, who don’t necessarily have our best interests at heart. Chances are they are addicts themselves. Just like with toxic relationships where we will have partners trying to convince us to stay and withstand more abuse, we will have the people with whom we drank or used drugs, trying their best to hold onto their drinking buddy, their accomplice in addiction. They’ll try to convince us that we don’t actually have a problem, that we’re not truly addicts. They’ll tell us that the people who are trying to help us are only attempting to control us. They’ll try to persuade us to believe that our addictions represent freedom, that we’re not free if we’re being controlled by other people or forcing ourselves to give up the drugs we love. We’ll be tempted to believe them. We’ll want any excuse to give in and go back to our old lifestyles. The temptation will be overwhelming. We’ll doubt our ability to stay clean. We’ll have to cope with addictive urges that feel so strong we don’t think we can withstand them. We’ll feel overpowered by our addictions. We’ll feel overwhelmed, sad, anxious, afraid. At times we’ll feel hopeless and defeated. We’ll want to give up.
We’ll undoubtedly experience our own forms of resistance, which is our fear disguised as limiting beliefs and self-destructive thought patterns. We’ll be tempted to give into the belief that we’re not strong enough to get sober, that we’re not good enough to find happiness, that we’re not worthy or deserving of love, success or good health. We might develop thought patterns that are self-deprecating and full of self-judgment. We might become our own harshest critics, constantly berating and disparaging ourselves. We might feel resistance to our sobriety that tells us that we don’t have to do the work, that we can go back to using because we didn’t actually have a problem. We’ll tell ourselves that we just have to use in moderation, or that we just can’t get caught this time. We’ll tell ourselves to be smarter about our drug use, that it was our lack of control, or a mistake we made that was the problem, not a full-blown addiction. We will feel self-doubt and start to think that we can’t succeed in our recovery. We may have already relapsed, and we’ll be tempted to drown ourselves in shame and self-pity rather than digging ourselves out of the hole and trying again.
It is in these pivotal moments that we have to stay strong and stand by our sobriety. We need to remind ourselves of all the reasons why we’re doing this important work: our health, our freedom, our loved ones, our future. We need to treat our sobriety not just as a goal but as a necessity. We have to stay sober if we want to redeem ourselves, find fulfillment and be happy. Our lives are too precious. Our well-being is too fragile. Our mental and emotional health is on the line. We can’t risk another breakdown, or rock-bottom, or life-threatening incident. We can’t stand anymore regret, embarrassment or shame. We have to show ourselves that we love and value ourselves, that we are worthy of our efforts and our energy. Standing by our sobriety means standing by ourselves, having the conviction to believe in ourselves, and choosing to respect ourselves. We realize that we can no longer demean or devalue ourselves. We can feel as though everything hangs in the balance, awaiting the choices we make, and in a sense this is true. We have our own freedom and our independence from substance abuse in our hands. We hold the power to uphold and uplift ourselves, or to keep letting ourselves down.
Standing by our sobriety means making the conscious choice, over and over again, to love and value ourselves enough to prioritize staying clean. It means choosing clarity, honesty, and transparency. It means acknowledging our vulnerability and accepting help when we need it. It means fighting all the forces, both external and internal, that are threatening to knock us off course. Standing by our sobriety means standing by ourselves, standing by our freedom and showing ourselves that we really can put ourselves first.
Recovery is freedom. At Hired Power, you will receive the support and care you need to achieve meaningful transformation and lasting recovery. Call us today: (714) 559-3919.
