Gratitude, Abstinence, and Alcohol Use Disorders: Report of a Preliminary Finding PMC

Generating gratitude is a process similar to recovery – it can be threatened by negativity, resentment, and self-pity. It’s easy to regress back into old patterns when things don’t go your way. In the meantime, make sure that you take a moment to ‘stop and smell the roses.’ Are you or your loved one struggling with gratitude in recovery? Once an addict begins working on cultivating gratitude in addiction recovery, they tend to develop a better mindset overall and have a much more positive perspective on life. There are moments when the recovery process will seem like a stroll in the park, at other times it will feel like a daunting expedition. This is why it is important to incorporate practices into your life that will help you along the way.

• If gratitude doesn’t come easily during your recovery, there are practices you can follow to retrain your mind toward this more positive outlook.
• We will focus more on being thankful for those that helped us and less on the negatives.
• Viewing life through a lens of gratitude can benefit your life in a variety of ways.
• Researchers consistently find that a practice of gratitude leads to greater levels of happiness and other positive emotions, improved mental and physical health, and stronger interpersonal relationships.

In the often-turbulent journey of addiction recovery, feelings of gratitude can play an important role in helping you feel secure and connected. On the one hand, gratitude arises from within, helping you focus on and appreciate your own experiences instead of projecting those experiences outwards onto others. By cultivating an attitude of gratitude for your inner resources and qualities, you give yourself a foundation of strength that can help you weather difficult times. Gratitude journals can empower individuals in recovery to set aside intentional time for gratitude.

Breaking The Chains of Childhood Abuse: Resilience & Reduced Substance Use

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and pessimistic when living through the challenges of addiction recovery. You may feel like you don’t have the strength or willpower to overcome your obstacles, and you might start to get https://ecosoberhouse.com/ caught up in negative thoughts and emotions like anger, self-doubt, or hopelessness. However, maintaining a sense of gratitude can help you stay focused on what is important and find strength in difficult times.

These thoughts, as mentioned, can tend to be negative, always seeing what is wrong and what we don’t want. This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be a substitute for medical advice. We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, and this content is to provide an overall understanding of substance use disorders. These disorders are very complex, and this post does not take into account the unique circumstances for every individual. For specific questions about your health needs or that of a loved one, seek the help of a healthcare professional.

Are you ready to find gratitude in addiction recovery?

The study was approved by the appropriate institutional review boards. Theoretical and empirical evidence support the supposition that gratitude positively reinforces why is gratitude important in recovery addiction recovery once recovery is underway. Recovery might foster increasing feelings of gratitude and gratitude might in turn promote and reinforce recovery.

Those who view recovery as a burden or see their recovery experience as negative are more likely to turn back to alcohol or drugs. Gratitude inspires the mind and the body to turn away from substance abuse. Recovery is difficult, and maintaining a sense of gratitude can be crucial to a full and lasting recovery. By expressing thankfulness for everything you have in your life, you can begin to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. Additionally, gratitude has been linked with increased resilience, better sleep, and improved physical and mental health. So, if you’re looking for a way to boost your recovery, start by practicing gratitude.

Gratitude Helps Recovery

Percent days abstinent was employed in this study as the measure of drinking because it assesses abstinence. The focus of the current study is the association between gratitude and recovery, and scholars have identified abstinence as a critical component of recovery (Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel, 2007, 2009). Data for the current study were drawn from a larger prospective longitudinal study of individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

The more grateful you are, the more positive thoughts find their way into your mind. You have reached the point in which you are doing the same thing each day. Your life has become boring, and you lack motivation in your recovery. It is easy to get into a pessimistic state of mind and lack the motivation to overcome challenges within your recovery. You may even find yourself entertaining negative thoughts and being tired of the fight. All this can be changed by focusing on gratitude daily and reminding yourself of all the things that you have already overcome.

In any relationship, it’s easy to dwell on the negative and forget about all of the good. But if you take a step back and focus on the best in others, it can help you feel more grateful for the people in your life. Try to see the good in your friends, family, and co-workers, and let go of any resentment or anger you may be holding onto. Many times people with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance use disorder (SUD) can quickly go down this path of negative thinking.

This becomes evident in your interactions with others throughout the day. A grateful attitude propels you through life, sporting a compassionate heart versus a chip on your shoulder. In fact, integrating gratitude into your daily life becomes, in essence, a reflection of the spiritual awakening you’ve experienced in recovery. Many studies support the use of gratitude to improve outcomes for people in recovery from drug or alcohol use disorder. In one study, the researcher evaluated a group of treatment participants and some staff members for psychological traits, coping skills, gratitude, and other factors. Addiction strips away all the good things in life; health, happiness, contentment … you name it.