Many men and women suffering from the disease of addiction have problems with humility. Our egos are often overblown and not reflective of the true reality of our lives. That is not to say we cannot be confident, but we cannot allow our egos or overconfidence to get in the way of our sobriety. When we are too prideful to admit the stark truth about our addiction or alcoholism, we will have a difficult time humbling ourselves to the notion that we need to go to any lengths to recover. Humility is not as well respected as a virtue in today’s society as it once was. Many people falsely believe that humility is a form of weakness. Dr. Michael W. Austin, in a 2012 Psychology Today article entitled Humility, explains, “Recent studies show that humility is connected with many forms of prosocial behavior. While some misunderstand humility as low self-esteem or self-denigration, a proper conception of this virtue has both self-regarding and other-regarding components. The humble person keeps her accomplishments, gifts, and talents in a proper perspective. She has self-knowledge and is aware of her limitations as an individual and as a human being. But humble individuals are also oriented towards others, they value the welfare of other people and have the ability to ‘forget themselves’ as well, when appropriate.” Humility is not weakness, rather it is a form of courage. It takes courage for a person to admit when they have a problem or need help. We choose to level our pride in a way that allows us to overcome the mental blocks that our ego has put in place. According to Alcoholics Anonymous’ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, “For pride, leading to self-justification, and always spurred by conscious or unconscious fears, is the basic breeder of most human difficulties, the chief block to true progress.” The only reason we may have to justify our unwillingness to level our pride is fear. We are afraid of exposing our inner self—the one that we had spent a great amount of time dulling with drugs and alcohol—to others. When we finally do humble ourselves, however, all sorts of amazing things happen. We are no longer tied into the character that we had been playing during our addiction. We finally are able to reveal our truths to others and become whole and fulfilled.
Your story doesn’t have to be one of physical and mental suffering as a result of addiction. You can make the decision to seek help now and embark upon the rewarding journey of recovery. Oceanfront Recovery, a men’s treatment center in the heart of beautiful Laguna Beach, is staffed with experienced professionals dedicated to helping clients build greater and more fulfilling lives without the use of drugs or alcohol. For information about treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
