Addicts are all too aware of the difficulty involved in overcoming a serious substance abuse problem. There are withdrawal symptoms, detox, intensive therapies, triggers to manage and stress to cope with. It can be quite overwhelming.
Yet there is profound joy throughout the addiction recovery process, and even its darkest moments, it can be illuminated by new relationships, new strategies for living a healthful life and a new outlook for living a meaningful existence.
Sharing the Road: The Joy of New Friends
If addiction is a solitary process, addicts quickly realize that recovery needn’t be lonely at all. Aside from the guidance that addiction therapists can provide, many recovering addicts forge new relationships with other addicts who are also battling addiction. Participating in drug and alcohol addiction peer groups like 12-step programs or group therapies allows recovering addicts the opportunity to realize they are not alone. In fact, it can be incredibly joyful to connect with others who are traveling the same path toward a life of sobriety.
“As a member of The Discovery House alumni program, past residents will always have numbers to call and people to turn to, people who understand that a new life of sobriety isn’t always easy,” notes David Dequa, Program Director of The Discovery House, a residential and outpatient drug rehab facility in Los Angeles.
“Not knowing what to do, or who to turn to, in times of crisis can lead back into the substance abuse nightmare that you want to leave behind. A relapse prevention program that includes alumni meetings at The Discovery House means that you will always have a supportive group to turn to when you need them most.”
Improving Relationships
While making new connections is positive, repairing relationships that may have been damaged because of drug or alcohol abuse can also infuse more joy into life and the recovery process. Many addicts have described how important connections have become stronger as a result of their recovery. Having a supportive family is definitely something to feel joyful about. As relationships heal, there is a strong feeling of renewal that actually increases pleasure for everyone involved.
“At The Discovery House, we know that when one member of the family struggles with a drug or alcohol addiction, everyone suffers,” adds Dequa. “Our family program is a strong component to the recovery of many residents.”
Feeling Healthy in Recovery
Addiction certainly can damage your health, both physical and mental. Becoming clean and sober leads to improvements in the way a person feels. Once an addict gets through the difficult withdrawal stage, they begin to feel better. By adding physical-based recovery therapies like restorative yoga, a recovering addict can enhance the pleasure that comes from feeling good in their mind and body.
Freedom in Recovery
Many recovering addicts find joy once they begin to feel free from the grasp of the addictive substance. While their bodies are decreasingly dependent on drugs or alcohol, their mind also grows more independent. Thoughts of drinking or obtaining money for drugs no longer preoccupies their minds. The world and its possibilities begin to open up.
Pride in Recovery
Overcoming a powerful drug or alcohol addiction takes will power and self-discipline. As an addict begins to successfully manage their triggers and avoids the trappings of relapse, they naturally and deservedly begin to feel proud of the accomplishment. Feeling pride in doing something that is good and right is amazingly joyful for recovering addicts, but also for their families and friends.
Looking Toward the Future
While change and thoughts of the future can be scary to many people, particularly those who are overcoming an addiction, these elements can also foster great joy. After all, the future is bleak when one is in the throes of a substance addiction. However, with recovery, the addict can once again make plans for their life and also learn how to find happiness in the process of building that rewarding new existence.
Our lives are bound to be filled with ups and downs. The recovery process is not immune from this pattern. Yet just as there may be dips and struggles in the recovery process, there are also bound to be joyful days and weeks that will enhance long-term recovery and help pave the way to an altogether better life.
The Discovery House, located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, utilizes a variety of treatment programs that allow each client to receive the individualized care they deserve. The pet friendly Southern California rehab center offers a variety of inpatient and outpatient drug treatment programs to help drug addicts and alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety.
Each client at The Discovery House receives customized care to end their dependence on prescription drugs, heroin and other opiates and/or alcohol in order to live a joyful, clean and sober life. To learn more about The Discovery House, visit https://www.TheDiscoveryHouse.com or call (855) 203-7930.
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