Sometimes, your recovery journey might inspire the same sorts of feelings you experience when you have to wait in a long line.
In 2015, Bloomberg reported that Americans 37 billion hours waiting in line each year. That, of course, is a cumulative number, but when you are the person doing the actual waiting, it can seem like you are reaching that number all by yourself.
We do some of that waiting voluntarily. You might stand in line to get concert tickets to see your favorite artist. You might stand in line to get the latest gadget, the latest sneaker, or to try a hot new restaurant. You might stand in line to get your turn on a favorite ride at an amusement park.
But there are also plenty of times we wait in line under duress—in the grocery store, in traffic, at the DMV, and so on. These lines are often unavoidable because you need to get the items or accomplish the task that awaits you when you finally get to the front.
And there are even lines in virtual spaces these days—especially when it comes to queuing up for tickets to popular events, waiting for the “next available service provider,” and so on. Sure, the automated voice may assure you that “your call is important to us,” but you are still stuck in the service line.
When you are in line, there is a good chance that you will experience two distinct but related emotions: anticipation and impatience. That is to say, you are eager to have the experience that awaits you at the end of the line, but you are also agitated about how long it is taking to get there.
In your recovery journey, you are very likely going to experience those same emotions. Let’s take a look at some examples.
Anticipation and Impatience During Treatment
The moment you decide to seek out treatment for a substance use disorder is probably going to be one of great anticipation. After all, reclaiming your life from drugs or alcohol is a big deal.
As you go through the process of treatment, however, you may very well find yourself experiencing some impatience. You might wish the detox process were quicker and easier. You might find the therapy session during rehabilitation helpful, but also boring or repetitive. And you might find yourself feeling impatient to get back to your day-to-day life.
All of that impatience is understandable. Keeping your focus on your end goal—a lasting recovery—can help you shift from a sense of impatience to a sense of anticipation.
Anticipation and Impatience Following Treatment
In a perfect world, you would complete treatment for a substance use disorder, and all would be well. But this is not a perfect world, and the recovery journey will inevitably include moments of anticipation and impatience.
You might feel a sense of anticipation in a number of areas of your life once you have been through treatment. For example, you might anticipate an opportunity to repair broken relationships, to make up for your mistakes, and to experience life without feeling inclined to return to drug or alcohol use.
In each of those areas, however, you might find things are not as easy as you would like. You might feel impatience when your relationships continue to be challenging, when people are slow to forgive you for mistakes you made under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and when cravings arise—and keep arising over time.
That collision of anticipation and impatience may always be in play as your recovery journey unfurls. That might feel frustrating from time to time, but you can tilt the balance in favor of anticipation when you remember that each day you do not drink or use drugs is another day you can move forward toward the life you want to build for yourself. You will almost certainly continue to experience impatience, but a focus on the opportunities and growth that are made possible by recovery can lead to healthy and helpful anticipation about your future.
Let’s Get You on the Road to Recovery
At The Aviary Recovery Center, we feel a sense of great anticipation each time we have the opportunity to help someone overcome a substance use disorder and the co-occurring mental health disorders that may be tangled up with drug or alcohol use. Located near St. Louis, Missouri, The Aviary provides personalized care grounded in evidence, expertise, experience, and empathy.
Whether you choose residential treatment or our intensive outpatient program (which is also available via telehealth services), we can help you put drug and alcohol use behind you. The Aviary Recovery Center is consistently rated among the best substance use treatment centers in the country. And when you time in treatment comes to an end, we will continue to provide resources and support so that you can start your recovery journey with confidence—and a sense of anticipation about what comes next.
