When of the struggles have been sober is all the shame and guilt of everything that happen in my addictions, my mind can be plagued by past events and traumas. I've learned willpower alone is not enough to overcome such things. How have you've dealt with the past and everything in it?
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It took me praying for forgiveness.. for God to give me peace of mind.. with all the things I did in my addiction I know I can’t change them.. don’t want to go back thru those days.. the only way I’ve found that people will forgive you is to change your life for the better and show them that you’ve changed.. go to AA and get a sponsor and work the steps..turn your life over to God as you know Him.. stay away from people places and things that keep you thinking about all that stuff..
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Sobriety and therapy man. If you can, find a counselor who you click well with and talk thru your past and the traumas. It's hard as f*** sometimes, but it does help.
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The steps of sobriety worked for me.
Let yourself forgive yourself. The past is just that.. past. Depression is remembering the past, anxiety is over thing the future. Live in the now. Therapy and step work can help in navigating those thoughts. Sometimes meds are needed as well. Just keep pushing through until you find the recipe that works best.
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Forgiving yourself. Tim L said it pretty good.
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Lots of good advice above that I won’t repeat. For me I deal with it by making sure it never happens again. I can’t change anything in the past but knowing I’m not ever making those mistakes again makes me feel better. It takes time though. I’m 3+ years sober after 30 years of use, everything takes time.
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Getting into the steps with a sponsor fixed all that for me.
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If you want to live in depression live in the past, if you want to live stressed out live in the future, but if you want to live in happiness live in the present…. That’s what I say to myself everyday and it helps …. Not always but most of the time
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Guilt and shame continues to be a big roadblock in my recovery. However If I'm living my amends to the best of my ability I can accept forgiveness one moment or day at a time
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Thanks for all the advice, forgiving one self can be a struggle, though it helps knowing that I'm not the only one struggling with this. One day at a time, and I'm seeing a therapist tomorrow
The past is so important to us!! It’s a blueprint and absolute proof that living life under our own willpower doesn’t work! I had to tell myself that I did the best I could for who I was at that time. Because that’s true. And also that all those past disappointments and heartbreaks and all of the trauma and pain was totally necessary for me to become me. Anything less and my life does not become unmanageable. I had to lose everything I put ahead of my sobriety. I know it’s so much easier said than done. But it does happen. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it!! That just might be my favorite sentence in this program!!
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Living in the moment, learning from your mistakes, remembering who you truly are deep down and recognizing your good qualities, and knowing that it never needs to happen again. As long as we’re sober we’re in control of our actions moving forward. It’s not easy but there’s such a good like out there waiting for us with each day sober 
Realizing you can’t do anything about it really helps me.
Building positive memories helps me.
Therapy and time
I ask God to bless them and change me.
Oops I read the first share incorrectly oh well bless them anyway God and change me faster please…
God forgives us by virtue of Jesus death on the cross.
Regret is the result of looking back to the past.
Step 5 was a turning point for me. I unloaded the burdens of my past. As best I could. And when recollection presents a new memory of something painful that I’d blocked or forgotten, I put the pen to paper and I call my sponsor.
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