Finding Your Passion After Addiction
It is not uncommon to feel groundless, aimless, or without passion in early recovery from addiction. When drugs or alcohol takes up so much space in your life for so long, it can feel overwhelming to suddenly be without it. Addiction can detach us from what it is we feel passionate about and what it is we truly love about life. Early recovery can therefore be a rich and meaningful time to reconnect with your life’s passion and purpose.
Why are Passion and Purpose Important in Early Recovery From Addiction?
As you begin your journey in sobriety, you may find that you are feeling uncertain about the future and how to live a “normal” life. Many people tend to find their passion in rediscovering things they had lost because of their extensive drug or alcohol use.
Others may find they are open to exploring new and exciting activities they may have previously stayed away from. In any case, participating in activities you’re passionate about can create a whole host of benefits, regardless of whether or not they actively in recovery.
While it may seem obvious to some, one of the most profound self discoveries anyone can achieve is to learn what they’re passionate about and actively engage in it. Although there are many different avenues of passion, there is a common result. People feel happy and purposeful in their life when they do what they’re passionate about. So the question remains, “what is my purpose in life and how do I find it?”
Answering this question is incredibly difficult. Before people can take actionable steps to pursue their passion, it’s helpful to ask some questions to better understand what activities to try first. Below are some things to consider:
● What do I value?
● What are my goals for my recovery and for my life?
● Are there any activities I’ve done in my life that have given me great joy?
● What activities do I feel most strongly about, regardless of whether or not they are new to me?
● How do I go about pursuing new activities that interest me?
Once you’ve answered some of these questions, you should begin thinking about concrete steps you can take to include them in your everyday life in recovery.
Passion and Addiction Recovery
Regardless of whether or not you’ve left an addiction treatment program, pursuing a life of passion can have profound effects. While you’re in addiction recovery, we strongly suggest you try to answer some of the questions posed above. Afterwards, you should work with your therapist, family or friends to help you think more in depth about activities you would like to try or old ones that have given you great joy. By implementing activities you’re passionate about, the result will be twofold.
First, you’ll be able to create a strong daily routine that can give you joy. Maybe this will be related to your everyday work or maybe not. In any event, the goal is to introduce more activities that will bring you happiness. The second benefit of implementing these activities is it will help rewire your brain and produce naturally occurring dopamine. Over the long run, this will have an immense impact on your long term recovery.
If you’re unsure of where to start, we’ve included some interesting activities to help get the ball
rolling.
● Yoga
● Meditation
● Volunteering for an organization related to your interests
● Volunteering with your sober community
● Exercise, both in groups or by yourself
● Outdoor activities (hiking, biking, skiing, white water rafting, etc)
● Playing a musical instrument
Our qualified team of treatment professionals can help you find your passion as part of your recovery from addiction. Contact us now to learn what type of services we offer and how we can help you maintain long term sobriety from addiction.
