Early recovery is a time when our emotions return and may even be heightened for a period of time. We spent so much time deadening our emotional natures with drugs and alcohol, that it is only natural that we will begin to feel a strong resurgence of emotion in sobriety. One such emotion, empathy, often feels unfamiliar because we acted on selfishness and self-centeredness for so long in our addiction that we lost our ability to care about others. Empathy, however, is one of the greatest tools we have in our journey toward complete recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Empathy is the ability to understand an be aware of the emotions that others are feeling. Rarely did we give much consideration to the feelings of other. When we were in a state of active addiction, our sole motivation was to get intoxicated by any means necessary, regardless of how it affected others. When we cultivate empathy, we are better able to communicate, find more success in social interaction, and move away from the selfishness that controlled our lives in addiction. With empathy, comes compassion and understanding because we are aware of the effects of our actions on others. This compassion and understanding allows us to make better decisions and cause as little harm to others as possible. In recovery, we go through a thorough process of self-searching, examining the harms we have caused others and continually watch out for our potential to cause harm as we go through our day. This puts us into a position of spiritual fitness that keeps us from falling prey to the depression and hopelessness that used to exacerbate our addiction. We also use our newfound empathy when it comes to working with other men and women suffering from the disease of addiction. Our empathy allows us to see the suffering in others, giving us a willingness and need to help wherever possible. This helpfulness, driven by empathy, is what gives our lives a new purpose and meaning. Each selfless action we perform aids us in our spiritual growth and strengthens us on our journey toward full recovery from addiction and alcoholism.
Your story can be one of kindness and compassion. A happy, joyous, and free life is waiting for you in sobriety. All you have to do is make the decision to seek help now. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in beautiful Laguna Beach, is dedicated to providing all the tools necessary to achieve permanent sobriety. For more information about treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
