Gratitude in Addiction Recovery: Why It Matters

Only more recently have researchers started to pick apart the reasons it can be so helpful and beneficial. One study of 300 people in mental health treatment, who benefitted from gratitude exercises, found interesting potential reasons it works. By actively practicing gratitude, individuals can shift their perspective from a place of negativity to one of appreciation and contentment.

Gratitude Practices in Recovery

Most of the time, our friends and family constantly do small things for us that may not seem like much, but are a consistent and constant sign of love. Even if you don’t have any close friends and family, you do likely have sponsors, peers at your self-help group, counselors, gratitude in recovery and new friends you may have made on your way to recovery. Taking the time to recognize what others are doing for you, no matter how small, and expressing gratitude to them, will help you to recognize their efforts and how much you are appreciated and cared for.

Milwaukee mayor says Trump thanked him for security measures around the city during the convention

• As a part of maintaining your recovery, gratitude can help you focus on the life you lead now instead of mistakes you made in the midst of a substance use disorder.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has been briefed on the incident, condemning « this horrific act of political violence. »
• Additionally, gratitude has been linked with increased resilience, better sleep, and improved physical and mental health.
• Here’s a breakdown of what practicing gratitude is and five concrete ways you can do it.

This is not to say negative emotions should be overlooked or ignored, but obsessive or continuous negative thinking is hazardous to a healthy recovery. Expressing gratitude each November is part of tradition, but for people in recovery, gratitude is a year-round practice and an important tool. By practicing gratitude daily, people in recovery remind themselves of all the blessings they have and foster positive thinking, happiness, and wellness. So, what does any of this have to do with recovery from addiction? Although different for everyone, SUD recovery tends to be a challenging portion of one’s life.

How Gratitude Benefits Mental Health and Brain Function

When you are grateful, you are much more likely to want to help and support others. This can foster even greater feelings of gratitude for yourself and for other people. Serving others is also a beneficial way to support your long-term addiction recovery. Another study looked at participants in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), all in recovery. Those who practiced more gratitude were more likely to participate in AA, to make the AA promises, and to have good social support.

• Writing down what you feel thankful for helps you notice and remember the good things in your life and creates a record that you can look back on when you need a boost of positivity.
• Gratitude isn’t just a nice thing to do — it’s a key component to long-term recovery.
• In addition to these general benefits, researchers have begun to look at the effects of gratitude in people working through recovery from addiction.
• When you do good things, you just feel good, which will help you to feel better.
• Sometimes the effort involved in recovery can make the struggles of a tough time feel even worse.

Think about little things that make you happy on a day to day basis. For example, the taste of coffee or your favorite dish, your favorite TV show, learning something, a joke. Or, things such as the satisfaction from doing your work well, from cleaning your home and taking care of yourself, from taking a hot bath, or putting time and effort into learning a new skill or hobby. Whether you have a lot going on in your life or almost nothing, you can likely find even something to be grateful for. Taking stock of what you’re grateful for should be about stepping back and taking stock of what you appreciate, what has gone right, and how things have gone better than they could have. People who are brimming with gratitude are generally more compassionate, helpful and generous than those who are not.

Gratitude Boosts Physical Health

As a child I remember the golden finches, redwing blackbirds, Baltimore orioles, and bobwhites that sang through the woods. Without much vision now, I delight in the birds still chirping in my yard. I am installing a bath to give them water through the dry summer, feeders to invite them to dinner, and small houses to raise their children.

Make Gratitude a Daily Practice

After cycling through a couple more programs, he learned about the Rescue Mission in Charlotte while sitting at a bus stop in Hendersonville outside his probation office. If they look close, they might sense something similar in my eyes. A quarter-century ago, one of my best friends succumbed to addiction, and that loss is with me every day.

How to Maintain an Attitude of Gratitude During Recovery

The flip side is being resentful and seeing what’s wrong in life, not what’s right. And no matter which way we choose to look, there will be plenty to be found of both. Recovery is a difficult process, and you’ll likely face challenges.

• Mistakes can and do happen – sobriety slips, resolutions are broken.
• Online resources for gratitude meditation, such as apps, podcasts, videos, or articles, are also available.
• We’re ready to make sure you have the support you need to achieve lifelong recovery.
• It may be there under different names — for example, AA daily reflections.