Mental HealthThe Psychological Impact of Recovering From An Addiction

Despite all the many and varied physical effects, one feels both during an addiction as well as during the recovery process, mental health plays a pivotal role too. In fact, what many don’t realise is that mental health issues and addiction are intertwined in the sense that you don’t often find one without the other. Substance abuse is so often the result of unchecked mental illness, and they often need to be treated side by side. However, the impact of the recovery itself can be hard on one’s mental state. Here are some of the reasons for this, and what can be done about it.

Overwhelm

Making the decision to get sober is a huge one and not one that should be taken lightly – it’s not as easy as 1-2-3. Someone struggling with addiction might feel incredibly overwhelmed with the journey ahead of them which can leave them with a lot of unmanaged stress, anxiety and feelings of helplessness. Getting professional help and knowing that you have the support of someone who knows how to walk with you each step of the way will make the early stages of sobriety much easier to cope with on a psychological level. If you’re in Texas, perhaps look into sober living houses in Dallas as a program to help you along the road to recovery.

Loneliness

Substance abuse can be a lonely road – many who struggle with addiction isolate themselves and push their loved ones away, leaving relationships damaged and both parties feeling lost. Feeling desperate and alone during recovery from addiction is only going to make things harder to get through on a day-to-day basis, so it’s important to work on building a support system. Rebuilding relationships with close people in your life, as well as finding new people to lean on can both help ease those feelings of walking your journey alone, as well as give you support in the form of motivation and encouragement and a chance to take your mind off things from time to time.

Helplessness and Hopelessness

There will be times when urges will simply feel like they are too much to overcome, times when you’ll feel like you can’t go on and times when you simply can’t cope. Depression is a common bystander in the journey to sobriety and it can leave you feeling like you simply aren’t capable. Getting in touch with a therapist or counsellor for regular sessions during your recovery process can help work through these kinds of feelings and overcome them with time. Being able to talk out your feelings, frustrations and fears is helpful on any scale, but sometimes friends and family just won’t have the skills or expertise to offer you the kind of support you need.

Being brave enough to reach out and ask for help at any stage of recovery is the most important step to managing your mental health through this journey. Whether it’s through a recovery programme, a healthcare professional or just having a friend to lean on, you don’t have to face it alone.

Useful Resources

https://northjerseyrecovery.com/resources/

https://harmonyplace.com/resources/

https://kingswayrecovery.com/resources/