Have you ever noticed how interviews with athletes after a game are all pretty close to the same? No matter what just happened on the court or field or pitch—and no matter whether the player was a winner or a loser—their answers to questions are likely to include statements like:
“We just take it one game at a time.”
“We’re focused on the next game.”
“This was a good team effort, and I’m proud of my teammates.”
“We just try to control the things we can control.”
These sorts of statements are so common in these interviews that you might imagine someone has collected them and distributed a handout called “Talking Points for Athletes.”
Talking points can be very helpful for people who are interviewed frequently. If you memorize a few key things that are always safe to say, you can avoid saying something controversial or simply wrong. So, athletes, politicians, business leaders, faith leaders, and more often fall back on key talking points to get them through an interview. In some cases, they might not even realize they are doing it. In other cases, they have likely been carefully coached to stick to the talking points.
We all have our own internal talking points—things we regularly say to ourselves about ourselves. Unlike most talking points you hear spoken aloud by others, our internal talking points have a tendency to focus on the negative. That can have negative impacts on most anyone, but it is especially a problem for a person in recovery from a substance use disorder.
An ongoing focus on the negative can increase the risk of relapse, so it is important to work toward a collection of internal talking points that focus on the positive instead. Those positive talking points are sometimes called affirmations.
Affirming the Value of Affirmations
All too often, our inner voice feels far more like a critic who thinks we are always screwing up than like a teammate praising us for our effort.
Maybe your inner critic spends a lot of time reminding you of everything that went wrong when you were using drugs or alcohol. Maybe your inner critic doubts your ability to withstand cravings when they arise. Maybe your inner critic thinks your goals and dreams are a waste of time.
If any of that sounds familiar, it is time to change your inner voice’s talking points.
Affirmations are Powerful and Personal
When it comes to positive statements you can call to mind to build yourself up rather than tear yourself down, it is important to focus on statements that are true for you.
For example, you might not be the kind of person who connects to an affirmation like I attract blessings to myself or I am filled with unlimited energy to change my life.
But there are plenty of other statements that might feel better:
I can focus on being kind today.
I don’t have to believe negative thoughts that arise.
I can achieve my goals.
Finding the right affirmations for you might take a little time, but the effort is worth it. When your inner voice is reminding you of the positive rather than the negative, your sobriety is on a much firmer foundation.
Are You Feeling Skeptical?
We get it. The idea that saying positive things to yourself can lead to more positive outcomes and help protect your hard-won sobriety might sound a little unlikely to you (or to your inner critic). And a healthy dose of skepticism can be a good thing sometimes.
With that in mind, we want to point you toward this article by Catherine Moore on PositivePsychology.com. Here’s the intro to Moore’s article:
Self-help books often promote the power of positive daily affirmations.
You, me, and almost everybody in the 21st century have heard of them. But if you’ve never tried them before, the idea can seem incredibly awkward.
Telling yourself how awesome you are can seem bizarre, but if that’s all you’re doing, there are probably more effective ways to go about it. And if you’re a skeptic, it doesn’t hurt to understand how and why positive affirmations became so popular.
And yes, there is genuine theory and a fair amount of neuroscience behind this practice.
The article details some of the science related to affirmations and continues with an impressive number of resources to help you get started on your quest to encourage your inner voice to speak positively about you.
We are Positive We Can Help
Located near St. Louis, Missouri, The Aviary Recovery Center, has been recognized as one of the best substance use treatment centers in the country for the second consecutive year. We are proud of the recognition—but we are even prouder of our ongoing efforts to provide individualized treatment for those struggling with a substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. Through our robust inpatient, outpatient, and virtual programs, we can help you get and stay sober.
