25 Motivational Quotes To Inspire Recovery

Recovery is a lifelong journey. It involves self-discovery, growth, and transformation. It requires you to make changes in yourself, your perspective, and your environment.

Change isn’t easy. Put another way, recovery is a challenge—one of the toughest you’ll ever face. If you’re in recovery or you know someone that’s recovering, you know just how hard this journey is.

At times, it might seem like more than you can take. Often, an encouraging word or two at the right time reminds a person that he or she is not alone in the struggle and that change is indeed possible.

The quotes below have helped recovering addicts recover. We’ve associated them with five common stages of recovery—stages many recovering addicts experience:

Pre-Contemplation

This stage is among the most critical in recovery—and the hardest. Going from awareness of a problem to the realization that action needs to be taken is often daunting. The quotes below can help motivate someone at this critical time:

Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in shambles and you have to change it. – Jamie Lee CurtisI’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it. – Art WilliamsI am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. —Stephen CoveyThe most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. —Amelia EarhartIt’s not heroin or cocaine that makes an addict, it is the need to escape from harsh reality. – Shirley Anita Chisholm

Contemplation

In this stage the addict shifts from recovery to action. He or she starts looking beyond himself and herself to see the impact addiction has made on others. Though not pursuing recovery, they’re thinking about it:

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.” – Zen proverbAddiction is a family disease. One person may use, but the family suffers. – Shelly LewisWhen the past calls, let it go to voicemail. Believe me, it has nothing new to say. – UnknownI have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. —Leonardo da VinciDo or do not. There is no try. —Yoda

Preparation

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion. – Muhammad AliThe first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. – J.P. MorganWhen one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. —Helen KellerThe only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. —Ralph Waldo EmersonWhat we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. —Plutarch

Action

Early recovery is a time of great learning and great vulnerability. Addicts are letting go of people, activities, and behaviors that have been key parts of their lives. In their place they’re developing new coping skills, ingraining healthy habits, and rebuilding damaged relationships:

You don’t get over addiction by stopping using. You recover by creating a new life where it is easier to not use. - UnknownYou wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before and that, my love, is bravery. - UnknownTo go through the torture of withdrawal, pain sweat, and tears and then to stay clean, you should be proud. Never forget the day you decided to get your life back. - UnknownYou were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed, or unworthy, you were created to be victorious. – Joel OlsteenIt does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop —Confucius

Active Recovery and Maintenance

By the time addicts reach this stage, they’ve learned a great deal and put in a lot of hard work. But they also realize they will have to continue to do that for ever to keep going:

It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary. – Mandy HaleOur greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. – Ralph Waldo EmersonMy recovery must come first so that everything I love in life does not have to come last. - UnknownThe hope was out there from the opportunities that I began creating myself. - UnknownRelax. Take a breath. It takes time, but there is great joy in the every day. Just remember, you’re learning new steps, a new dance. - Lisa Frederiksen

The quotes above can help you or someone you know beat the recovery challenge. You can use them as inspiration and motivation when the going gets tough. They can inspire recovery.

from
https://www.theliferecoverycoach.com/single-post/2018/09/15/25-Motivational-Quotes-To-Inspire-Recovery

How to Eliminate the Stigma of Addiction and Mental Illnesses

Substance abuse and mental illness aren’t choices. Nor are they the result of a weak character or a lack of willpower. They’re diseases that can happen to anyone—sisters, friends, lawyers, doctors, even elected officials.

Look at the impact the Opioid epidemic is having in the United States.

The epidemic knows no bounds.

No class or ethnic group has gone unaffected.

Unfortunately, the stigma attached to these issues remains. Those struggling with these diseases, however, feel stigma’s effects most strongly.

Often, it prevents them from getting the help they need.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can can take action to help remove the stigma attached to these diseases and lessen their impact on everyone involved. These critical steps can change how people think about these diseases and help eliminate the sense of shame associated with them.

Impact of Stigma on an Individual

The stigma that clings to substance abuse and mental illness is an enormous barrier to treatment.

The word "stigma" comes from a Greek word meaning "a physical mark made by a pointed instrument."

While the English word “stigma” lacks that precise meaning of the Greek, many addicts and people with mental illness feel like they’re “marked” for all to see.

Eventually, that feeling creates a painful sense of shame in the individual.

Shame is a heavy burden for anyone. But for addicts and the mentally ill, this sense of shame can feel unbearable. It makes them feel as if they’re “defective” in one way or another.

These feelings often bar individuals from seeking treatment.

Practical Effects of Stigma

The stigma associated with substance abuse and mental illness has other effects.

In addition to discouraging them from seeking treatment, the stigma can prevent addicts and the mentally ill from participating in normal everyday activities like finding work or even socializing. This reclusive behavior can be devastating to their recovery.

What’s more, some private doctors won’t work with addicts and the mentally ill thanks to the perceived low rate of treatment success.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies relegate treatment to lower priority, preferring instead to develop treatments for more chronic illness.

Fortunately, more and more people are coming to understand these illnesses and even taking the steps to learn how they can be part of the solution.

Stopping the Stigma of Addiction

Have you ever walked away from a challenge? A real life altering challenge?

I have. Several times.

Why?

Fear of failing. Uncertainty. Stubborn pride.

It felt easier to hide, rather than to confront my addiction.

For people living with addiction or mental illness, these obstacles are real and bigger than anything they've encountered before.

So, how do we help them overcome these roadblocks to meet the challenge?

Knowledge.

Educating ourselves can help prevent and reduce the stigma of these diseases by providing accurate, detailed data on preventing and treating them.

Fortunately, many grassroots organization are working hard at educating the public. But this effort needs to continue.

Speaking out is another key to removing the negatives associated with addiction and mental illness. When individuals join together to combat the stigma of these diseases, good things happen. Friends, families, treatment providers, medical organizations—all need to speak up.

People in recovery also need to speak up. In fact, addicts and the mentally ill are often the strongest—and most successful—advocates for beating the stigma of these diseases. When these people share their experiences, hopes, failures and successes, they combat the stigma.

More Ways to Eliminate Stigma

Educating the public and speaking out are two powerful ways to eliminate the stigma of addiction and mental illness. There are others. Nine are below:

Encourage equality between physical diseases and these diseasesRemind people of the power of negative languageShow empathy and compassion for those with these diseasesChoose empowerment over shame Be upfront and honest about your treatmentLet the media know when it is stigmatizing addiction and mentally illDon’t harbor self-stigmatizing by becoming a productive citizenListen while withholding judgmentTreat addicts and the mentally ill with respect and dignity

No one likes to feel stigmatized or devalued. By following the tips above you can help combat and eliminate the stigma of addiction.

Fighting the Stigma of Addiction and the Mentally Ill

The stigma attached to these disease isn’t just an individual issue. It's also a public health concern. Findings by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for example, shows that 21.5 million adults (aged 12 and older) battled substance abuse disorder in 2014.

Sadly, only 2.5 million of these individuals got the specialized treatmentthey needed. One reason for not getting treatment is the stigma associated with their condition.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can all be part of the solution by sharing information and engaging with those that need our support.

from
https://www.theliferecoverycoach.com/single-post/2018/09/01/How-to-Eliminate-the-Stigma-of-Addiction-and-Mental-Illnesses