A substance use disorder can impact your physical and mental health in many ways, but arguably, one of the worst effects that addiction can have on you is causing you to lose trust in yourself. At an Arizona drug rehab center like Desert Cove Recovery, we know how tough it can be to rebuild that trust.
If you’ve gone through addiction recovery or are planning on doing so but are worried about how to learn to respect and trust yourself again, we have some tips that can help you build self-trust once more.
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Why Self-Trust Can Be So Elusive After Struggling With Addiction
Once you’ve gotten sober and are faced with the results of your actions while you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it can seem impossible to comprehend your behavior. You may not be able to reconcile your view of yourself with the actions you took while in the grips of an active addiction.
You likely have a wealth of broken promises behind you, including those you made to yourself. Add to that the knowledge you’ve acted in ways that sabotaged your health, career, relationships, and more, and it’s not difficult to see why self-trust can be elusive.[1]
Not having self-trust and self-confidence makes drug and alcohol rehab more difficult and could interfere with achieving long-term sobriety. You may not trust yourself to make the right decisions when faced with challenges, which could put you in a defeatist headspace that could lead to a relapse.
What can you do to help build your trust in yourself once you’ve left a drug rehab center?
Arizona Drug Rehab: Ways to Regain Self-Trust
At our addiction treatment centers, we provide some guidance to help you rebuild that lost trust you need to make the right decisions daily.
Set Realistic Goals
Setting ambitious goals for yourself can be tempting when you’ve just completed rehab and are stepping back into your life. Although having overarching goals for yourself can be healthy, you must set smaller and more realistic goals, too.
Being able to reach a goal offers a boost of self-confidence. If your overarching goal could take years, you’d miss out on these confidence boosts.
Your goals should also allow you to see your improvement over time, and you should be ready to celebrate each achievement. This doesn’t mean you have to throw a party or do something dramatic, but acknowledge what you’ve managed to do and put it in perspective with what you’ve struggled with.
Stay in the Present
Thinking ahead to all of the things you still have to do can give you anxiety that could easily trigger a relapse. Thinking back on your past actions can also be dangerous, making forgiving and moving on more difficult. Instead, focusing on staying in the present and dealing with each day would be best.
Mindfulness exercises can be excellent for this purpose. They keep you grounded and focused on the current moment.
Learn How to Forgive Yourself After Arizona Drug Rehab
One of the most important things you can do for your recovery is to forgive yourself. It isn’t easy, but understanding that addiction is an illness like any other is vital. The structural changes it causes to your brain impact the areas that manage impulse control and emotional regulation.[2] These changes are behind many choices you find so unforgivable.
What matters is allowing yourself to move on from those actions while learning from your mistakes.
Practice Self Care
It’s common to see people who struggle with addiction treating their bodies like they’re disposable and not worthy of care. To be able to attain the sobriety you deserve, you need to practice self-care.
Your emotional, mental, and physical health are intertwined. Taking even small steps to care for yourself, whether preparing a hot bath to relax after a long day, taking a few minutes to watch something you enjoy, or even cooking a favorite meal, reinforces the idea that you’re worthy of recovery. This, in turn, helps to build resilience and can boost self-confidence.
Self-care also means taking the time to eat correctly and give your body the sleep it needs. Remember that addiction is devastating for your body and your mental health, so your entire system likely needs a boost of nutrition and time to recuperate. What this comes down to is being kind to yourself.
By taking those small first steps, like choosing something nutritious to eat or going to bed at a reasonable hour, you can slowly learn to trust that your decisions can be right.
Turn to a Treatment Program at An Arizona Drug Rehab
At Desert Cove Recovery, we offer rehab facilities ready to guide you as you navigate your journey through sobriety. By relying on therapies focusing on achieving behavioral health and ensuring every patient gets personalized care, we can help you regain your self-trust and begin your life anew.
If you’re struggling with addiction, don’t wait to get the help you deserve. Call us today at Desert Cove Recovery to learn more about drug rehab centers in Arizona.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9945912/ [2] https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/10/biology-addiction
