Finding Gratitude for the Bad Stuff, Too

Living in recovery means living with all of life’s ups and downs without medicating ourselves with chemicals. We will certainly have new successes and be able to accomplish things in our lives that we could never do while in active addiction. We now have access to all of our feelings and energy, which allows us to progress much further than ever before. Our feelings are powerful sources of information and energy to help guide us along the path we are meant to travel. Many of us have past issues to clear up when we enter into recovery and this can take time to work through. As we clear up old wreckage, though, our lives unfold in new, unforeseen and beautiful ways.
While it’s easy to be grateful for all the good things that transpire in our lives, we can also learn to be grateful for the problems we face. We will inevitably continue to experience hurts, losses and disappointments as life continues to happen. There are many things that we must all face simply because we are alive. We are not exempt from pain and loss just because we are sober. We truly can use anything that happens as an opportunity for growth — emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Even some of our most tragic circumstances can bring us to new levels of gratitude and spirituality.

It is not so much what happens in our lives that is important as much it is how we respond to it. We have a choice every single day to become better — or to become bitter. It all depends on our attitude and our willingness to use all things to further our growth. In the big picture, our challenges are opportunities to grow and stretch our muscles of faith and hope and to engage in our recovery program. We can always reach out for help and support when we become overwhelmed or don’t know what to do next. The solution is often to simply do the next right thing and focus on staying with our program of recovery.

by Anita Gadhia-Smith, PsyD

www,bevillandassociates.com