The end of the year is full of holidays, and in one way or another, a spirit of gratitude is at the heart of them (Festivus might be the exception). The very first of the major holidays sets the tone with its name alone: Thanksgiving.
In fact, whether you love this time of year, loathe it, or like some parts of it and dislike others, it is undeniable that the series of big holidays shines a spotlight on thankfulness. And thankfulness is an important idea when it comes to recovery from a substance use disorder.
Let’s take a look at the ways in which leaning into thankfulness can support your recovery no matter the time of year.
First Things First: Be Thankful You Are in Recovery
There is no doubt that the recovery journey can be challenging. Cravings are likely to pop up from time to time. The day-to-day stresses of life can wear you down. An unwelcome surprise—like an expected promotion falling through or a relationship coming to an end—can undermine your recovery efforts. The list of potential difficulties is no joke.
Still and all, one fundamental fact remains true: being in recovery is always better than being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And that means you can—and should—be thankful for your recovery.
Keeping a spirit of gratitude alive when it comes to your recovery is a good way to keep everything in perspective. Calling it to mind—even when you are struggling—can help you stay headed in the right direction.
Second: Be Thankful for Those Who Support You
When you are in the grip of a substance use disorder, it can feel as though you are all alone. That is true whether you alienate people due to your behavior or try to hide your problem from others—or both.
Once you have been through treatment and started your recovery, you can rebuild relationships and forge new ones with people who support your efforts to leave drugs or alcohol behind. We are thinking here not only of your close family members and friends, but also of the members of your recovery group (including your sponsor or recovery mentor), your therapist and physician, and more.
Reminding yourself of the people in your life who support you can be a powerful way to reset when you are having difficulties. Finding ways to thank those people—in big ways or small—is a wonderful practice that firms up the foundations of your recovery while also bringing joy to someone who makes a point of being there for you.
Third: Be Thankful for the Small Things That Bring Joy
It can be so easy to focus on the little frustrations that pop up each day. Maybe you found yourself running late for work. Perhaps someone missed a deadline at work, and now you can’t move your part of a project forward. Maybe the person in front of you in line at the store seems to be finding every possible way to make their transaction take longer. And so on.
We would suggest, however, that there are plenty of positives to notice each day. Maybe someone held a door for you when your hands were full. Perhaps someone made snacks to share at the office. Maybe a friendly employee at the store helped you locate something you just could not find.
Focusing some of your thankfulness on these little things can help you positively reframe your day.
First, Second, Third: A Model for Your Gratitude Journal
We intentionally identified three kinds of things you can be thankful for during the holiday season and well beyond. We focused on three because we wanted to model the most common approach to keeping a gratitude journal.
Making regular entries in a journal can help you focus on things for which you are grateful—and remind you of just how many of those things there are.
To get started, take a little time each evening to write down three things for which you are grateful. They can be big or small. They could be specific to that day or more general. It is fine to repeat items but it is also good to really lean into thinking of things for which you are grateful that you maybe have not taken the time to notice in the past.
As your entries stack up over time, you can look back at them to be reminded of the many good things in your life—the very things that are made possible by your ongoing recovery.
This holiday season, you might get yourself the simple gift of a notebook to start your gratitude journal as one year winds down and another begins.
We Are Grateful for the Opportunity to Help
At The Aviary Recovery Center, located near St. Louis, Missouri, our entire team is thankful for the opportunity to do meaningful work leading to transformational change in the lives of the people we serve. We are regularly named among the best substance use disorder treatment centers in the country, an honor that reflects our dedication to our work and to each individual we help get free from drugs or alcohol. Ready to make a change? We can help.
