I was scared of what my life might look like without you. I watched you dig my grave from day one. As the days went by, I stood by and did nothing.

How to use our Goodbye Letter to Addiction template

But I am happy to say both my daughter and I are now sober, and our family has become much different as a result. It is truly a miracle I am thankful for, each and every day. My traumatic childhood experiences led me down a dark path. I experienced a lot of pain and suffering throughout my early years, and substance abuse was there to make me feel a little better during those dark days. The only relief I ever felt was when I fell into the evil clutches of addiction. Addiction, you are a tremendous liar.

• Consider the happy moments tainted by its presence, the worries and fears it brought into their, and the realization that something needed to change.
• In the early stages of sobriety, self-forgiveness is crucial, and may even be essential, to long-term success.
• And life will take on  a new meaning, life will become the most beautiful thing you have ever experienced.
• If you are ready, reach out to Icarus and get help to experience that for yourself.

Forgiveness as a Preventive Measure

Now you’ve been out of my life for three years. I realize when I first left you, I never properly said goodbye. I guess back then, when I first got sober, I wasn’t confident that I would stay that way.

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Just write a simple message and schedule it to alert you. It doesn’t use up your SMS and you can send as many messages as you like to yourself or friends. This is a great app for setting intentions, daily reminders, and writing inspirational or loving messages.

Look to a Joyful Future With Your Friends and Family Members

• All of those dreams and ideas and awesome parts of yourself will become reality for you; it might be a little different than what you are expecting but I promise you will love it just the same.
• Studies reveal that regret and shame harm recovery and can act as a barrier to it in addition to feeding addiction.
• When I am actively using, I am not only using substances, but I am using the goodwill and empathy of others.
• You would think I would have accepted this by now—that you want us dead—after battling with you my entire life.
• This helps to physically put things in perspective, especially being able to visualize the thoughts and behaviors that have been causing so much trouble.
• I am about to tell you a story about our life.

You’ll not be even a part of my future. The entire team at Ingrained Recovery is with you along this way. We know how difficult it feels to addiction letter to self choose the rehab center. But we also know that addiction is the hardest relationship you have. This letter helps you affirm your worth and reclaim your time from the addiction that has taken over your entire life.

• The monster still hides in the shadows, just waiting for us.
• I will continue on this path until making the decision to give up using and take actionable steps to empower my recovery.
• It maybe sounds strange, but one of the most difficult things for me to accept was leaving that part of my life behind.
• Icarus is a modern, innovative healthcare organization offering a path to recovery to those suffering with substance use and mental health disorders.
• The only effective treatment for guilt is simple old-fashioned forgiveness.

The same can be true for those in addiction recovery. While facing these profound losses can make forgiveness difficult, it’s an important step in the healing journey. A “Goodbye Letter to Addiction” is Substance abuse a heartfelt expression of bidding farewell to the clutches of substance dependency while learning coping skills for addiction recovery.

I would try sometimes to go out and have fun with my real friends. After only an hour or two, I would feel you calling me, tugging at me, telling me I had to go home and be with you or I would suffer consequences. After a while, you started to tell me that I didn’t need anyone else. I should abandon my friends, shut out my family. You advised me that I was too smart for school.

You are going to puke, you are going to cry, you are going to wish you could just end your own life. You are going to curl up in a little ball of bone and skin, underweight, and shake. You are going to be incapable of sleeping by yourself. You will feel like the world is coming to an end. Like the world is working against you.

I am telling you these things in order to prepare you for what our life will hold for us. I am hoping that by telling you our story, you will take in every breath, for what it is truly worth. Illicit drug use affects half of the population aged 12 and above, with nearly one million drug overdose deaths recorded in the US since 2000. Polysubstance consumption, combining various drugs, can lead to dependency or addiction, risky behaviors, and mental health issues (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 2019). The road to recovery is long, and it won’t always be smooth.

You know you’re sinking far too much wine most nights. You know you’re wrestling with yourself every day about whether to buy any. You know you’re doing deals with yourself about how much you’re going to drink and you know you keep breaking those deals. You know you keep waking up at 3am feeling guilty, with a bursting bladder, pounding head and sick guts. Kristi Roberson is a peer support specialist at Addiction Recovery Care.