By: Lakeview Health
“…the only way we’ll ever stand, is on our knees with lifted hands.” – Mark Hall and Matthew West
This quote is a great learning tool for those who are going through addiction treatment. In order to get to a place of surrender, addicts must be willing to accept their past. So many times addicts beat themselves up about the past, but the truth is you can’t change the past. If you have made mistakes, the most you can do is accept them for what they are and learn from them. Being able to accept the past, embracing it (even the painful parts), will help us surrender and inevitably allow us to make changes. Surrendering to the fellowship of recovery, a Higher Power, and/or your Christian addiction treatment center to help guide you through the next phase of your transition is essential for a healthy recovery program. After accepting the past, we must learn to choose how we want to use the information learned. Oftentimes the addict believes change is not possible because pain from past experiences is too overwhelming. Other times, attempting to stop using substances is seen as too big of a challenge. In both instances, the addict is missing the present. The present is where acceptance, surrender and change can take place. Four easy steps to making changes are:
- Acceptance
- Surrendering
- Choosing a direction
- Make changes following the direction of choice
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