Beginning a journey into recovery can be a daunting proposition.
Once you decide recovery is necessary, you will likely need help determining how to overcome recovery obstacles. Many of the barriers will lie within you. You may feel a great deal of fear: fear of failure, fear of the unknown, and fear of a life without the coping mechanisms that you thought worked for you.
Unrealistic expectations about recovery can be a common thread throughout the entire process. Remember that sobriety will be new to you and full of unknowns. Regularly attending a 12-step program can be extremely helpful in providing a support network and mentorship. A sponsor can help you learn how to make decisions for the first time as an adult without alcohol or drugs.
A fear of failure can also compromise recovery. Anxiety about failure can lead to giving up too quickly.
To counteract the fear, concentrate on the here and now. Focus on today instead of on past mistakes and future events. Today, you are sober.
Recovery obstacles can also come from your past.
Many people in recovery have a long history of disappointments: what they have done to others and what they perceive others have done to them. Sponsorship can be an excellent way to overcome this sense of disappointment. Working a 12-step program with a sponsor can provide guidance on how to deal with the past and get perspective on it.
Dealing with the expectations of others is also a key recovery obstacle to overcome. You are only responsible for yourself and your actions. Yes, making amends–righting wrongs–is important. But once you’ve done your best to resolve the past, it’s important to leave it behind and move forward with forgiveness of yourself and others. When you live each day making healthy choices for yourself, you can be at peace with life.
You will have obstacles to recovery. But if you remain true to yourself and accountable to others, you can be free.
