Hope: The Foundation of Addiction Recovery
Why Is Hope So Powerful in Recovery?
We use the word “hope” all the time. We hope someone has a good day, we hope something works out,
we hope for the best. This little word plays a big role in our communication with each other. On a bigger
scale, hope can be the difference between giving up and holding on. Hope can be the thing that keeps us
going. Hope can be the feeling that helps us believe and work for a better life.
What Hope Is (& What It Isn’t)
Hope is defined by Mirriam-Webster as cherishing a desire with anticipation; wanting something to
happen or be true. It’s markedly different from simple positive thinking because it requires a clear
understanding of the obstacles you’ll face along the way. Just as drugs and alcohol affect the mind,
beliefs and expectations release neurotransmitters and affect your brain chemistry.
Hope isn’t a wish, or an attitude, or a feeling. It’s the determination to take control of your life, believe
in a better future, and take action in order to achieve your goals.
For those of us who have experienced addiction and are on the road of recovery, hope plays an
instrumental role in our commitment to our work, our healing, and our sobriety. But why is it so
important, and how can we stay hopeful, especially if we have endured extraordinarily difficult
experiences in our lives?
Why Is Hope So Important For Recovery?
Deanna Daniels, LMFT, explains her view of hope by saying, “Hope opens doors and has the power to
sustain us through the most difficult of times and circumstances. Having the ability to look forward
keeps us moving forward, and hope plays an important role in this process.” She goes on to state that
when people lack this, their problems begin to control their destinies.
When you can clearly see your circumstances, analyze how you got to where you are, and begin to make
plans for a brighter future, you are living an authentic, hopeful life. Author and scientist Shane J. Lopez,
Ph.D., believes that hope can be learned. He explains that this value boils down to four key beliefs:
- The future will be better than my present.
- I have the power to make it so.
- There are many paths to my goals.
- None of them is free of obstacles.
Hope Encourages Emotional Ownership
Life is dynamic, beautiful, and often full of multiple truths. During the stages of early recovery, it can be
hard to express the complex emotions we are experiencing, especially if the feelings seem contradictory
or confusing. Speaking to our hope can help us express multiple emotions and acknowledge the full
range of what we are feeling. It is empowering to own and share what is truly going on with us.
Practice pairing, if you feel sad yet hopeful, or if you feel disappointed but still positive, about how
things are going in your life. “I am angered or saddened about this event, but I’m staying hopeful.” Or,
“This hurts so bad, but I’m hopeful. I’m not going to give up.” Having hope or being hopeful does not
mean you are denying the harsh reality of the world, only that you are moving through the world with a
lens of hope.
Hope Keeps You Hopeful for the Future
Holding out hope can remind yourself of what your goals and dreams are. What are you working
towards? What do you hope to accomplish? Reflect on what is truly working well in your life. Do those
things give you hope for the future?
Hope is healing in that it can hold space, encouragement, and optimism for the future. While we may be
frustrated about how one part of our life is going, we can still hold out hope for a longer-term goal. For
example, we may be exhausted by the excruciating work of getting sober, but we are holding out hope
that once we have fully detoxed and found stability, we will have ourselves back, and can experience a
new, beautiful life. A life where anything is possible.
Or maybe we are in a rigorous school program, and despite the incredible demand and the temptation
to quit, we are staying hopeful for graduation, and know the sacrifice will be worth it.
Hope Can Remind You of Your Resiliency and Inspire Self-Leadership
Think back on how much you have overcome in your life. What kept you holding on during those times?
What guided you during difficult days? Was it a hope that your strength, courage, or determination
would get you through? Take time to reflect on the beacons of hope in your life.
Who inspires you? Who gives you hope for the future? Who are your role models? What do you
appreciate about how they hold hope?
Hope Can Encourage you to Get Real and Grieve
Our hope can hold us during times of deep grief and pain. An important part of recovery is working
through your past with a mental health counselor, recovery support, or a healing community. Allow
yourself to cry, feel, grieve, and purge. And then come back to you, to your hope. Accepting, embracing,
experiencing, and releasing emotions will encourage and empower us to come back to what’s true for
us, that we carry a foundation of hope. Grieving is a way to let go and rest into a healing hope.
Hope Can Hold You Accountable
Your hope can orient you and keep you committed to your recovery.
Your hope can keep you focused on the positive changes you are making.
Your hope can keep you committed to moving forward in a happy and healthy way.
Your hope can keep you committed to self-care.
Hope can help you rebuild your life.
Hope can help you prioritize yourself.
Hope can help you during the recovery process.
Hope can be what you hold onto.
Hope is an internal resource that you can always carry in your heart.
Are you feeling hopeful, and ready to take more ownership of your life?
Are you ready to heal, grieve, and let go?
Are you ready to use your hope for yourself to hold yourself accountable for healing?
5 Tips For Keeping Hope In Addiction Recovery
It’s one thing to understand what hope is, but keeping it alive in your day-to-day life takes dedication
and commitment. We’ve put together five key tips for staying grateful and positive. If you’re feeling
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- Listen to stories of hope. The more positive stories of recovery you surround yourself with, the
more possible it feels to stay sober. By attending meetings and listening to old-timers explain
how many days they have – and how radically getting sober has turned their lives around
– you’ll feel inspired and renewed.
Connect with a sober community. It can be easy to feel alone in your sobriety, especially if your
old friends don’t quite understand what you’ve been through. This is why it’s important to get
involved with a sober support network. Attend AA or NA meetings, plug into your treatment
center’s alumni group – whatever it takes to make you feel like you’re supported and heard.
Visualize your sober self. Take a moment to think about how far you’ve come since your days of
substance use, and then imagine what the future holds. This exercise reinforces your drive to
stay sober and creates an aspirational goal to work towards.
Be kind to yourself. Nothing tears down hope faster than rumination, self-loathing, and
perfectionism. If you hold yourself to harsh standards and don’t focus on maintaining positive
self-talk, it’s incredibly challenging to succeed in recovery. Instead, talk to yourself the way you
would a dear friend.
Make a list of things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is an incredibly beneficial daily practice. Each
night before you go to sleep, write down the parts of your life that you’re grateful for – bonus
points if you reflect on how getting sober has brought these things into your life!
- Listen to stories of hope. The more positive stories of recovery you surround yourself with, the
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