4 Tips for Dealing with Anger During Recovery
If you or a loved one are facing addiction and starting down a path of recovery, there can be a lot of guilt, shame, and anger involved in the process. How can you deal with the anger that arises effectively, in order to continue in your recovery process?
1. Find a Support Group
Having others who know what you are going through can make such a difference in the recovery process. Any time you feel anger or frustration rising up, you will have a group of understanding people to talk it out with.
They can help you keep your mind in the right place, and talk you out of the feelings you may be experiencing. SAMHSA provides easy access to finding the right group for you through their helpline, as they acknowledge the extreme important of have a support group in recovery.
2. Remind Yourself of Your Goals
Reminding yourself of your goals can help put you in a more positive mood.
Often when an angry moment arises, it can be easy to lose sight of long-term goals and objectives. However, if you make an effort to remind yourself daily of why you are in recovery and what you hope to get out of it, it may help you keep your focus.
You are on the path to recovery in order to find a healthy lifestyle again, to repair relationships broken by this addiction, and to secure a better future for yourself than the life you were living. All these positive thoughts can help to keep the anger at bay, as you can prioritize what is important to your recovery.
3. Recognize and Express Your Emotions
According to NCBI, it is important for anyone in recovery to recognize what they are feeling and address it so that it does not spiral out of control. They suggest that a counselor may talk through this with you and provide parameters for how you can express your anger, so that you learn to view it from a new perspective and control it.
In order to do this, it is important to understand the source of the feeling and what other feelings may be contributing to it.
4. Learn that Feelings do not Equal Thinking or Behavior
This is another important aspect discussed by NCBI, which is understanding that although you may feel angry, this does not mean that your thoughts and behaviors have to reflect those feelings. Should a feeling arise, you can learn that although it is present, you do not have to act on it.
There are many strategies you can try to determine how best to act when these feelings do arise, so it is important to find what works for you.
If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction and are seeking a path of recovery, simply call 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) to speak with a caring specialist who can answer any of your questions or concerns. Recovery can be a long and challenging process, but with the right guidance and support, you can find a healthier lifestyle and a better future.
https://www.disorders.org/alcoholism/psychological-approaches-to-drug-and-alcohol-addictions/
